Monday, August 29, 2005

Artist Spotlight: White Rose Movement

By this time, it seems like everyone is trying to jump on the whole 80's New Wave-revival bandwagon. Tons of new keyboard-driven bands have been crawling out of the woodwork to get record contracts. Beings that I have always been a big '80s music fan, it hasn't gotten overly tiresome for me quite yet. Besides, not all of these bands deserve to be shrugged off.

The London-based quintet White Rose Movement is one of the emerging bands that are helping keep the old stuff sounding fresh. Taking their name from the German anti-fascist movement of the 1930's, the band cites Depeche Mode, the Sound, and DAF as collective influences.

The band's first single, "Love is a Number", was released earlier this summer, but has continued to draw attention to itself. This one ranks near the top of the heap in the "most likely to be confused for another decade" category. The danceably edgy synth-pop, heavy bassline, art nouveau dresscode, and inflection-tinged vocals are what makes this one worth checking out. I'm not sure whether to bob my head and play air drums or hit the dancefloor. This track could stick in your head like gum on the bottom of your shoe. This band deserves a second listen.

To see the band's video for 'Love is a Number' and hear the new single for the much darker "Alsatian", visit White Rose Movement's official website.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This has to be one of your best reviews with "stuck in your head, like gum" references and visualizations. Having survived the 80's music with daughters with Flock of Seagulls haircuts and Depeche Mode retorts I can relate to this resurrection of sounds that also give homage to the passing of Bob Moog (see earlier review). Great job!