Tieweb (http://www.tiewebmusic.com) redefine alternative rock by bringing it back to its roots. While a number of English and American bands have been resurrecting '80s post-punk sounds the past few years, most of them are mining the same angular-riffed Gang of Four territory. Tieweb, on the other hand, echo the psychedelic fixations of their mid-'80s college-radio ancestors.
"Exit Man" has a deep yen for late '60s paisley pop, from its vintage Pink Floyd-era spiked riffs and big British Invasion choruses, not to mention Eric Bayles' pumping keyboards. On "December Remember," Tieweb recall forgotten left-of-the-dial staples Three O'Clock with its opening moody, mellow groove and subsequent summer sunshine guitars. It's sweet stuff, far from the beat-based sex attack of Franz Ferdinand but digging from the same era.
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Guitars chime and jangle throughout the LP, most appealingly on "MAPS" with its Church-ish shimmer and the title track, which soars to the heavens.
Tieweb compares itself to R.E.M. on their website, and I can see the influence. Like early R.E.M., Tieweb wrap a mysterious aura around their songs; they're not straightforward pop tunes but borrow structures from them. You will find yourself humming along even though you don't know what they're singing about.
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