AWmusic

Released January 13, 2009

The Boxer Rebellion was a violent uprising against foreign and Christian imperialism in China. The ruling Qing Dynasty tried to use their supernatural powers to expel the foreigners out of China. This eventually ended with the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Chinese Republic. Why the history lesson? Because the band, The Boxer Rebellion, has about as much in common with violent rebellion as white bread has to dark pumpernickel.

The Boxer Rebellion started life in 2000 when lead singer, Nathan Nicholson, met guitarist, Todd Howe, in a London bar. The two struck up a friendship and together with Adam Harrison (bass guitar) and Piers Hewitt (drums) formed the band. In 2003 they played the New Bands tent at the Glastonbury Festival and shortly after were signed to Alan McGee’s Poptones Records. They released their debut EP, “Exits”, in 2005. This year saw the release of their much anticipated full-length album, “Union”.

The Boxer Rebellion was recommended to me by a friend. I am reconsidering this friendship. “Oh, no”, she said. “You like Radiohead, you will love this band.” Famous last words. I was warned, in a way, I guess. Inevitably, when this is said to me I end up not liking the recommendation. And the Radiohead influence is very evident in this band. Fortunately there is only one Radiohead despite the number of pretenders that crop up every year. I just wish there was a way to stop bands from trying then I wouldn’t have had to suffer through this album.

There are so many things I didn’t like about “Union”, despite NME reporting that this self-released album is outselling Kings of Leon, Coldplay and MGMT on U.S. iTunes. It is currently #1 on the iTunes Alternative chart and #4 on the UK Alternative charts. It helps that single, “Evacuate” was the iTunes download of the week and that The Boxer Rebellion is the featured band on Myspace. So why didn’t I like this if it is so popular? Basically because it sounds like Radiohead lite. They try really, really hard to sound like The Verve and Radiohead that I find it gets in the way of actual music. The last song on the album, “Silent Movie”, sounds so similar to “Nice Dream” that I find it highly annoying. If you want to be Radiohead, become a cover band and be done with it.

All is not lost with this album though. “Soviets” is a very nice tune that starts with acoustic guitar and Nicholson’s clear vocals and then about midway kicks into high gear. I like it because it is free of all the goo-gaws that plague the other songs. There is no reverb, which is overused on just about every song, no soupy echo, and no cloying atmospherics. It’s a straightforward song with rich vocals and a truly lovely melody. It kind of reminds me of “Chinese Sleep Chant” on Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”. “Spitting Fire”, the next song is also a nice clean song free of atmospherics so you can really hear Nicholson’s vocals. He has a pleasant enough voice and when not trying to sound like Richard Ashcroft or Thom Yorke, is a natural singer. He keeps well within his register so there is little straining even when he uses his very wonderful upper register.

So I guess you are wondering why I dislike them if I like the vocals. Well, lets not get hasty here. Nicholson does have a nice voice. Notice I said nice. I use nice a lot when talking about this band. That’s because the whole album is nice. It is something you could put on as background music and not worry that your guests will pay attention to it instead of you. Some of the tunes, like “Silent Movie” or “Misplaced” sound like they were written for a movie soundtrack. They are mostly harmless and benign which is a shame because the lyrics are thoughtful if a bit vague and repetitious at times. I’ve listened to this album about a half dozen times now and I still couldn’t sing even a portion of these tunes if my life depended on it. They are totally forgettable.

The first time I listened to this I didn’t make it all the way through. I had to stop it half way through the second last song, “Forces”. I don’t know what it is about it but it hurts my ears. To me there is a dissonance that I can’t quite put my finger on. I don’t know if Nicholson is singing half a note off-key or if the timing isn’t right or what but there is something about it that puts me on edge. I think it’s the guitar that doesn’t sit right with me.

In the end the only impression The Boxer Rebellion left on me was that I have heard all this before done better. In fact, there are two Canadian Indie bands that do it much better, October Sky and The Dunes. October Sky has the essence of Radiohead but has the good grace to know their limits and not to try to copy them. The thing October Sky lacks are good lyrics. The Dunes, on the other hand, have decent lyrics, not Radiohead, but certainly not trite either, and Kevin Pullen has a much better voice. Maybe if the three of them got together they would make one great band.

All in all, I would give this album a pass but since it is outselling Kings of Leon, perhaps you shouldn’t listen to me. I, obviously, don’t know a thing about music.

The Boxer Rebellion – Flashing Red Light Means Go.mp3

The Boxer Rebellion – Silent Movie.mp3

The Boxer Rebellion – Soviets.mp3

*mp3s removed by request*

Buy The Boxer Rebellion on iTunes.

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The Boxer Rebellion