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Pollens: Not To Be Sneezed At

22 March 2011 9 Comments Written by Joe Sparrow

Do today’s new bands still want the same things out of their chosen profession
 side-project-reluctantly-funded-by-a-dreary-office-job as they always have? Or are their aims now different?

Take a quick look at the tour blog of Official Friends Of ANBAD, The Bedlam Six, and you’ll be soon be able to decide if the rock life is for you. It’ll mainly hinge on whether or not you like squeezing into a Transit van with seven other people, whilst careering your way around Austria’s weird, golf-course-like countryside.

Touring is the only way most bands can make cash now. But there is a new breed of music maker who are only really concerned with making music on their laptops and then tipping it onto the internet for a reaction. What is their motivation?

It seems to me that it is either pure creative focus, laziness or shyness driving their virtual van. There’s nothing wrong with that. But there might be when these musicians get tired of the office job.

I don’t know if, or how much, Pollens play live. Their music sounds like it may only truly exist within a laptop and keyboards. But, equally, it may not, and they may be veterans of their local live circuit. Music is so complex these days.

Existentialism aside, their music also sounds like the kind of smart, sweet and sylph-like pop that hides its plentiful hooks under deep layers of oddness. They are in there, though, and repeated plays of weirdly compelling songs like After Dance reveals them, surprising, delicious and bright.

Pollens are from Seattle. I imagine it has taken as long for the city’s bands to shrug off their Grunge-burden as it took Manchester’s to step out of Factory Records’ shadow. It’s been worth the wait.

MORE: pollens.bandcamp.com

TODAY’S BONUS BAND: Plug // FIVE WORD REVIEW: Stripped-up, not stripped-down, pop larks.

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9 Comments »

  • !!! | pollens said:

    [...] A New Band A Day This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. ← Going Home [...]

    # 22 March 2011 at 4:30 pm
  • sloth said:

    actually! pollens just got off of tour with SLOTHPOP (facebook.com/SLOTHPOP) in the midwest. their live show is just as good maybe even better than their recordings. people were very very receptive to pollens and bought lots of CDs. next time, do a little more research on the band before assuming they are just some brilliant musicians making music on their laptops. they are so much more! we love pollens and so does the midwest! cheers.

    -ko
    slothpop

    # 24 March 2011 at 6:20 pm
  • Joe Sparrow (author) said:

    @Sloth Ooooh, get you.

    Next time, read the article properly before assuming a few snippets you don’t like the look of mean that the overall tone is negative.

    I listen to a zillion new bands each year, and most of them are crap. So I only write about the ones I like. See?

    # 25 March 2011 at 7:20 am
  • sloth said:

    don’t get upset that you didn’t do your research.

    # 25 March 2011 at 7:21 am
  • Joe Sparrow (author) said:

    @Sloth Research? You come to a music blog expecting journalistic integrity? Stick to Sunday-supplement pull-out ‘Culture’ sections if you want articles that kowtow a pre-determined line.

    I am still at a loss how you managed to find a negative slant in an article full of superlatives. But, hey, thanks for visiting.

    # 25 March 2011 at 7:29 am
  • sloth said:

    you’re welcome!

    # 25 March 2011 at 5:54 pm
  • Louis said:

    Hey Joe, Bedlam Six van isn’t a transit. It’s an LDV Maxus 120.

    Jesus, do some damn research.

    # 2 April 2011 at 10:00 pm
  • Joe Sparrow (author) said:

    Ha! I refuse to believe that bands travel in anything other than Transit vans. Driven by the drummer, littered with old socks and McDonalds rubbish, etc., etc.

    # 4 April 2011 at 7:32 am
  • Polygonal bis zum Abwinken – Pollens’ “Brighten & Break” | Joinmusic said:

    [...] die verkopfte Einleitung? – Vor mehr als 18 Monaten stellte Joe Sparrow auf dem Blog A New Band A Day, einem Freizeit-Projekt, Pollens in einem kurzen Artikel vor, dessen Tenor in etwa lautete: [...]

    # 29 September 2012 at 10:30 am

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