Reviews of songs by teenage boy bands
A. Fran, by The Warts
A significant problem faced by boy bands is the narrow musical range expected of them. On the one hand, there's pop-rock, on the other, a dull version of rhythm and blues. Anything that differs from those styles sounds wildly creative, which may explain the phenomenal success of The Wart's hit song Fran in the music charts. The keyboard plays a central role on this track, giving it a sad feel. The lyrics are cleverly written, with each song-line starting with the last word of the previous line. This is more impressive than you might think just reading about it, because each band member takes a line in turn. It's a showcase for The Warts' excellent voices, and lead singer Mike ftoyce is outstanding.
B. Hard Shell, by Loud
Loud specialised in disco music until three years ago, when a new producer was brought in who gave them a completely different sound. This has resulted in a string of recent hits although their latest song, Hard Shell, is heavy with electronic synthesizers, string instruments and horns. Ned Laing leads on vocals, guitarist Grant Berry manages a creditable solo, and the band's rhythm section is faultless. But at just two-and- a-half minutes long, it's over before you know it. And sadly, the song lacks the memorable lyrics of their earlier successes. In the end, it seems to have proved too polished for their younger fans, and too lightweight ior the older ones. It hasn't been a hit, though many in the industry feel it should have been.
C. What I lost, by Dealt
Though Dealt got together to compete with other popular boy bands, their first single, What I Lost, had few of the elements that defined boy band music at the time: none of the sophisticated disco beats that might have been expected. Instead, it's understated rhythm and blues with a trace of folk, and accented by that least cool of instruments, the accordion.lt was a fantastic debut; tour years later, it's still unique, as different from the usual boy-band style as accordions are from electronic synthesisers, though both were used on the song. And although the subject matter, romance, is familiar, there's a clever twist: What I Lost is set in a courtroom. It was a track that was hard to improve on, and they never did.
D. No grace, by The Bowls
Boy band The Bowls' hit song No Grace features Len Blane's gentle lead vocals and flowing harmonies mom some of the other band members. Say what you like about Blane, but there's no doubt that he has a gift for writing poetic love songs and arranging them to music. No Grace, which he claims to have written in an afternoon, is one of his finest songs. It's become a classic guilty pleasure for many people who wouldn't normally admit to liking a soft-pop love song — but why feel guilty? There's something touching about the lyrics and they deal with themes that everyone will have experienced at some time in their lives.
E. Floss, by Slog
Released while Slog were at their short-lived peak, their hit song Floss is a splendid example of attitude plus technology. It opens with a drum solo, which gives way to three minutes of keyboard craziness that sounds like something a far more experimental band might have come up with. The three Slog members play conventional guitars and drums, but it's virtually impossible to detect them over the unusual electronic sounds of the backing track. Then there's lead singer Mo Arambg's remarkable vocals — more those of a thirty-year-old, than of a boy of seventeen. Floss is a marvellous track, and an inspiration for boy bands everywhere.
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