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The Wave Pictures

MusicBlog

Location: London

Website: http://www.thewavepictures.com/

Bio: The Wave Pictures have, it has to be said, been somewhat confined to the realms of cult and beloved obscurity since their inception. First formed ... (more) in 1998 when Franic and David both lived in the same village (drummer Jonny became a permanent member in 2003 completing their 3-piece lineup), the band learned to play together by covering Jonathan Richman songs. Before long however, David began churning out a raft of original material. Testament to his latent songwriting talent and prolific output, the band have to date self-released four albums (plus one album of Herman Dune covers), earning them a small but wholly devoted international following.

Principally, Wave Pics sit somewhere between Herman Dune and Jonathan Richman, though they also conjour up the spirit of The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian. They sing lyrically charged songs about life in the middle England village they hail from...though they somehow end up sounding like tales of the city and it's suburbs as equally as Wymswold. They're delivered with honesty and heart by a band who are capable of doing nothing more than writing and playing their songs. They care about nothing else, and very possibly couldn't even if they tried.

They're in disconnected from almost every 'scene' – in fact they are in many ways, wholly unhip, though none of this is contrived. The Wave Pictures are a band who have almost no grasp of how great they are. Like the vast majority of their music, debut single 'We Dress Up Like Snowmen' was recorded live with no overdubs or studio tricks (contrary to the over-egged production values of much of what is currently being championed). Theirs is an easy, natural approach to life, songwriting and recording – basic but urgent. Truth and beauty.
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