Young Hearts EP,
EncyclopediaEncyclopedia are a two man band from Yeovil, who use various synthesisers, sequencers and guitars to create a fairly catchy ‘techno pop’ sound. God knows how on Earth they pull this off live, but ‘Young Hearts’ is the bands first ever EP – and it’s very impressive stuff indeed. Ben Wood and Oliver Herdsman met at college, so the bio states, and created the band after Ben secured a support slot for Squirtgun – even though he didn’t have a band.
With influences obviously coming from the likes of Atom and his Package and Weezer, the band really have a knack for penning a hugely hummable hook. ‘You Can Say No (But I Hope You Don’t)’ has a very catchy chorus which, if you were that way inclined, would probably do some damage in the charts, given the right backing. What Encyclopedia do very well is create a very simple song structure and throw the works at it. The production, for a self-financed demo, is exceptionally good. Music lovers who like their records to be quirky, poppy and a lot of fun are going to lap this up.
‘Young Hearts’ has a hint of Morrisey in the vocals, with the synth weaving in and out of a guitar line. ‘The Girls In The City’ is much more of the same, again heavily featuring a sample and keyboard that compliments the vocals. The melodies and harmonies are tackled very well, giving each song a very ‘pop’ feel. The sampled drumbeat which opens ‘Yeah, Shave It’ leads straight into a chugging guitar and keyboard riff that sounds like the backing music to a early 1980s computer game. The chorus is perhaps as catchy as any on the record – which is really saying something.
Encyclopedia are currently hunting for a label and with 80s synth pop destined to be huge in 2005, I doubt it will be long before we see a lot more of these guys. Whilst what they are doing certainly isn’t new, after all bands were doing this 20 years ago, they’ve put a refreshing 21st Century slant on things and made it a lot of fun. Ones to watch for sure.
www.encyclopediamusic.com
Paul
