Probably
the only thing that has jumped the shark more than people saying jumped
the shark, is people talking about the Radiohead model and the benefits
of the free/pay what you want system. For 99% of the bands in the
world, it doesn't make a difference if you sell it, give it away or ask
for a charitable donation. People download music. Bloggers throw up
illegal tracks. Essentially, anyone with the ability to type mediashare
+ "band name" into Google can find the record they want for no charge.
So why would I even bring it up? Well,
Arms Up
– an indie rock trio from SK – have put there own little spin on the
idea and I think bands should take note. After the success of their
debut EP –
Not From Montreal –
you’d expect the band to rush back into the studio and hammer out 10-12
songs hoping to capitalize on any buzz they picked up. Instead, Arms Up
made a smart business/financial decision and decided to launch their
"3-P project."
What’s a 3-P project? Well, a couple questions/answers on their myspace tells you all you need to know:
Q:What's a 3.P?
A: 3 new songs every 3 months.
Q: Why not an album?
A: Albums are too expensive for our broke asses. We have new music weez want it out now.
Make
sense? It does to me. The band wants to write songs, play shows and
build a fan base. If giving away helps them in the long run, it’s worth
it. I could segue into the importance of getting your record heard, but
Carl Wilson already discussed the idea more eloquently than I ever could:
It’s
not that people are so shallow that they are totally swayed by the
externals, but those developments do, for instance, help determine
whether journalists write about a record, and in that process become
more deeply familiar with and attached to the work.
Does
giving away 3-songs make Arms Up destined to be the next big thing? Of
course not, but it certainly will get more people listening, heading
out to shows and hopefully, becoming a fan of the band, not just the
songs they trolled for online.
Look Left is the first
installment, and really taking the time to craft three strong songs has
helped the band. Their previous EP was full of anthems, and while they
were done well, there is something to be said about writing songs for
the venues you are playing. Look Left shows the band delving into more
psychedelic territory, scaling back the soaring choruses and writing
tracks for the bar.
Opening with
Now, Now, Now, you get
hit with the electricity of seeing a rock band in some local dive. A
quick intro over some guitar and spacey keys let the drums and Voyno’s
vocals stand front and centre, before the band explodes on the chorus.
Dabbling with some
Doors inspired keyboards and keeping the
energy up makes the track a perfect opener, but also a song that will
take on new live as the band works it live.
I’m not sure if the three songs the band will hit home with the people that loved their last EP, but they certainly help
Arms Up
find a sound that can grow with them. Writing anthem ready rockers is
all well and good, but if you are only playing for 20 people, the fan
energy needed to make the songs work won’t be there.
Poor Boy Blues
on the other hand, lets the band crank up the amps and get head
nodding. The gentle acoustic intro is familiar and accessible, and the
heart of the song is more transferable.
Spanish Banks shows the
trio shifting sound and trying a more classic rock radio ready
approach. The classic, slow burning build of this ballad is handled
well, and again, gives a nice glimpse as to the direction the band
seems to be heading.
I don't think the band is quite ready - at
least on record - to convert the masses, but this project will give
them the freedom to try. Twelve songs in twelve months. It puts the
pressure on them to write, but doesn't force them to cobble together a
collection that should have been left in the jam space just to get a
record made. It may only be three songs, but the idea and the potential
makes Arms Up a band to keep an ear on.