Finally Inspired: The Last Man Standing

I'll be fair - I've been more than a tad lazy. Yes, I've been out to gigs, theatre, London nightlife, and fashions shows (more on that later... esp. Boy George's new line, B-Rude.) But then, while much of it was decent, enjoyable, good stuff - well - nothing really hit me. Mediocrity is the theme of most of the bands being hyped at the moment, and while I could always bandwagon and push yet another group that has one or two catchy hooks and a some loud guitar to nod your head to - eh, I just didn't feel like it.

But then, in a moment of randomness, I stumbled upon The Last Man Standing. It hit - finally - something worth getting off my a** and writing about. So here it is.

The Last Man Standing is a fantastic blend of eclectic styles. Londonist wrote a review citing the Last Man Standing as "a smokey bar room band, put together by Nick Cave, influenced by a strange mixture of jazz, soul, ragtime, glam, Bowie, good old rock'n'roll and Beatles-esque pop led by a man who may or may not have spent a large part of his youth watching Marc Bolan and Frank Zappa, whilst possibly having dabbled in the odd metal album or two." And I'd have to agree. I would add in an interesting almost circus-like influence, a subtle but always there classical baroque feel, and put extra emphasis on the ragtime, Bowie, and Bolan references. Whatever that adds up to - its fabulous. (Read the entire Londonist review and interview here.)

I'll risk sounding overly enthused and say that the last time something struck me in this particular way was that first encounter with Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" in my early teenage years. The Last Man Standing are refreshingly original and well orchestrated. They have a style thats their own, are lyrically interesting, and don't fit in a box. There are so many good bands out there that I've reported on - all of which can be put down as indie, pop, etc etc and usually described easily by citing 2 or 3 strong influences. This isn't one of them. The only consistency here is the dramatic, rich, lush sound and feel of their songs.

Lets go quickly through them:

Theme For The Last Man Standing - Fantastic opening theme. A real cool cat showman intro that even develops elements of 70s prog rock during some parts - eventually morphing into a slow jazz piece and finally a quick but poetic acoustic lament. Somehow it works.

Waiting So Long - Plunges headlong into the heart of a catchy, engaging tune that could be a more fully orchestrated track off of "Hunky Dory" delivered by the lead singer of Arcade Fire, and given a slight powerpop touch.

Dean Street Stumble - Groovy song whose piano, funk, and choral elements prevent it from being anything too straightforward. A teasing melody with circus influence in the verses, then a bluesy chorus during which Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane somehow make their presence known.

Schpilkus - Starts out like a quickly paced striptease, then a Dylan-esque vocal comes through strong, with the aid of a big band sound.

An honest appeal. Just listen.

You can catch The Last Man Standing at the Halloween event for Lost Vagueness at the Coronet Theatre in Elephant and Castle (London.) I know I'm making the trek down - not only because Lost Vagueness hosts notoriously good parties, but because it will be interesting to see how The Last Man Standing will carry off these fabulously complex songs live!

Download:

Theme for the Last Man Standing - The Last Man Standing

Waiting So Long - Last Man Standing

Dean Street Stumble - The Last Man Standing

Schpilkus - The Last Man Standing

Buy:

Nothing yet, but watch this space!