Myspace : Good or Evil?

Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth was recently asked, "In light of the internet, do you think bands get to develop properly?". To be honest, his reply came as quite a shock to me. He stated, "No not at all. Unless they develop on the internet!. As far as being in a live band, playing tours, and learning the ropes, I think that's becoming less and less of a factor.

I would have thought someone of Moore's experimental tendencies would be all for a new way of promoting great music. Although in retrospect, you have to agree he has a point. It is quite ludicrous to think a band such as Arctic Monkeys can become overnight sensations, based on downloading and file sharing. But the influence of the web has become far reaching across the globe.

However, what sites such as Myspace and Purevolume offer, is a chance for young artists to exchange mp3's, get contacts and grab a wider audience, all at very little cost. I never would have got a chance to hear plenty of artists that I now enjoy, if it wasn't for sites like myspace

Here are a few who have caught my attention recently.


Our Brother The Native

Young Americans, Our Brother The Native, recently signed with the influential label Fat Cat Records based on their myspace site. The three piece (ages ranging from 16-18) have been together since only 2005, but have garnered severe amounts of critical acclaim. Would this have been possible without myspace. Who knows?, but the world is now a better place, because of them anyway. According to their bio, all three members have a wide range of training and influences, from grindcore to classical music.

Such eclecticism, is the main reason for what can only be described as a startling and unique release in "Tooth and Claw". Recently given an excellent write up in The Wire Magazine, where their sound was described as "eerie, captivating and disjointedly beautiful", songs such as "Falconiformes" are reminiscent of Clouddead, Animal Collective and Paavoharju. Their sample-laden music is most definitely "captivating". Listen here

Our Sleepless Forest

Bands with three word names have always appealed to me and I have no idea why. Here is another, Southwest London's Our Sleepless Forest, who are a bunch of teenagers making music that should really be beyond their youth. They are in good company, hailing from the same part of London as Four Tet, Fridge and new craze, Dubstep. They are also definite contempories of Our Brother The Native, as both seem to be (unintentionally) ploughing the same field. It is doubtful that, without myspace, these bands would have ever came across one another.

This three piece claim a wide variety of influences, with each member covering different parts of the music spectrum. However, these tastes come together, quite nicely to achieve one common goal. Some of their influences include Animal Collective, Mogwai, Clouddead, Warp Records and pyschedelia. This is an ambitious mix, but the band are keen to point out that they are trying to do something different, without sounding too mush like the bands mentioned above.

Their sound reminds me of very early Mogwai, circa "Superheroes of Bmx", were they seemed to be more experimental, while "Paper Flowers" reminds, very much so, of Sigur Ros. "The Tinderbox" reveals another side to this group, with beautifully strummed guitars, washes of synth and out of tune keys mixed with obscured vocals. The band display enormous amounts of potential and an amazing level of maturity. You can download "Paper Flowers" and "The Tinderbox" from this site, or alternatively, you can go here, an listen to more beautiful music.


Kjetil Møster

Born in 1976 in Bergen, Norway, Kjetil Møster is 'slightly' older than the two artists mentioned above. Nonetheless, he has also benefited from the use of myspace too. According to his stats at almost 3000 people have listened to his music on myspace, that is 3000 who may never have heard of him at all.

Moester is a classically trained jazz musician who can play a plethora of instruments including saxophone, tuba, cornet and guitar. Described by Norwegian contempories Datarock as "the most aggressive and naturally talented musical noise we've ever heard", he has an abundance of bands. He is even a member of Noxagt.

His music is a mix of avant-garde, jazz and electronica that is quite refreshing to the ears. I can imagine this is the sort of music Mike Patton chills out to. Look no further than "Harmattan" to see where I'm coming from. Listen here and find out more about his projects here.