So here it is, sitting on my desk I have Nightmare Of You’s self-titled debut album. Made up of The Movielfe’s old guitarist Brandon Reilly and Sammy Siegler who has drummed for Rival Schools and Glassjaw, Nightmare Of You are ready to hit me with some finger-shredding action….or so I think.
I suddenly feel like Doctor Who’s arrived and decided to take me for a quick tour of the last forty years. First of all I’m plaiting daisies in my hair whilst I listen to the jolly and floaty sounds of ‘The Days Go By Oh So Slow’ whilst The Monkees seem to be help outing on the backing vocals on ‘Ode To Serotonin’…although I hope they’re covering their ears as Nightmare Of You’s Brandon Reilly cheekily announces, ‘Let’s do it on your terrace and the rain will catch the notches on our backs’. The swinging ‘60s are soon bypassed by the vengeful sound of the 1980s after quickly flirting with the ‘70s on ‘Marry Me’. ‘I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard’ opens with a cheesy American cop show sound before moving into a bittersweet chorus whilst ‘My Name Is Trouble’ lets you get in touch with David Hasselhoff’s Knightrider side for just under four minutes.
The best song of this high quality debut is the melodic and humorously titled ‘Dear Scene I Wish I Was Deaf’ which brings sunshine to even the most gloomiest of days. It also manages to poke fun at the fake and pretentious with lyrics, “don’t clap your hands, don’t start to dance, don’t let them know that you’re a fan.”
Nightmare Of You are the hardest band to categorise which is probably why I respect them so much, the fact that each member had his own separate and totally different musical background and sound makes their combined sound so unique and successful. Their original sound vaguely touches the edges of ‘80s electropop, Britpop, power pop and… pop. They’ve been prescribed to fans of The Killers when I, personally, think The Killers are the most hyped band in today’s music scene. I love Nightmare Of You, admittedly they took their time to grown on my but I’d recommend them to anyone and everyone. Now.
4 out of 5
You can check out their website at www.nightmareofyou.com.