THE NEW YEAR

6.18.00
Brownies
New York, NY

Armed with four guitars, three E-bows and enough down tempo, jangly melody to float you away on a tranquil cloud of melancholy, The New Year features members from Bedhead, Come, Macha and other indie luminaries.

Holding court deep within the bowels of New York's Brownies, I spoke to even-tempered singer/guitarist Matt Kadane (ex-Bedhead) on various matters regarding The New Year, on this appropriately damp June evening of the band's second gig.

The New Year centers on the core songwriting team of brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane. Traces of their former band Bedhead's slow-core majesty can be identified in The New Year like dream fragments floating around your head as you surface from a deep sleep. The difference is, this baby is louder and more dynamic.

"Basically, Bedhead broke up about two years ago," Kadane explains. "The "Bedhead Loves Macha" ep (Jetset) that we put out last year consisted of unfinished Bedhead songs which Macha collaborated on with us. The New Year is our new band."

All five members of The New Year keep full-time professions, clearly limiting time spent in the studio and on the road. The physical distance separating band members makes for a glacial production pace - members reside in Boston and Dallas - but the New Year prefers a limited tour schedule. "We've practiced maybe four times," Kadane admits, "this show tonight [at Brownies] will be our second. We would prefer to go out for a month on the west coast, a few weeks in Europe, that kind of thing, rather than go out for several months at a time."

Songs build through the mail and visits. "My brother and I write songs and send things back and forth," Kadane explains. "The record will come out on Touch and Go [Records] in January [2001]. We're gonna record it in July, in Chicago with Steve Albini."

Half a year is a long time to wait for an album. Tonight's packed-in crowd eyes the band intently throughout its set, taking it all in. We are the privileged few to bear witness to the The New Year's second live outing.

Although some of the songs seem to end a bit prematurely, The New Year's fresh melancholia is impressive; the songs are well executed and beautiful in spite of their limited rehearsal. E-bows hum through strummed chords over a steady beat as brother Matt keeps his vocals just below the surface. Songs change pace from mid-tempo to Wedding Present-style fast strumming. The New Year weave simple, complementary sounds together to create songs such as the compelling tune that brings to mind the clean sections of Metallica's "One."

Listening to The New Year's melancholy compositions, you might imagine their author to be a slightly somber person. "[The music is] more somber than upbeat," Kadane admits, "But, I think these songs are . . . kind of melodic. I'm don't think I'm a somber person, but that somber, dark part of my personality comes out in the music."

"Music is an expression," Kadane continues, "a full range of our personalities. One reason why some people start bands is because music is another way to say something that you may not be able to get across by speaking."

Thoughts come and go through our heads each day, some recurring and changing. Put to music, these feelings are snapshots, moments frozen in time.

- Hal Miller

This review was originally featured on Gigmania.com.