Please say that one of you out there is as equally offended as I am by the most insanely bullshit driven reinvention of The Like?
I'm no die hard Like fan, I love June Gloom and Too Late and have always admired their style (especially Tennessee Thomas who I would like to direct the following negativity away from as she seems to have stayed somewhat true to herself.) but am otherwise not a pro when it comes to their back catalogue. But this transformation from cool alt-rock band to fluffy sixties pop fare doesn't sit well with me.
They were incredibly cool as it was and aesthetically they favoured floaty 70s dresses and bed hair over incarnating Edie Sedgewick. Responding during a Refinery 29 interview to who their musical influences are, their answers sound contrived. Citing Motown and 60s Girl Groups is fine but in this case it feels like they are simply namedropping references that suit their new look. What about their own upbringings? Tennessee's Father was Elvis Costello's Drummer with Z-Berg's Dad a Guitarist and Producer whose love of the Rolling Stones I could see having more of an effect on The Like's sound than The Supremes.
True, the band have been changing since last year's line up rejig but over the last month with an influx of The Like press releases in my inbox and sexy jingles on Spotify this overhaul reeks of a marketing man's wet dream. They've been around for 9 years and are suddenly being promoted as a new and upcoming band. I'm all for a band receiving a helping hand of a stylist but when the case in point is The Like who are loved for their unique look I can't help thinking of the phrase Cash Cow.
I'm no die hard Like fan, I love June Gloom and Too Late and have always admired their style (especially Tennessee Thomas who I would like to direct the following negativity away from as she seems to have stayed somewhat true to herself.) but am otherwise not a pro when it comes to their back catalogue. But this transformation from cool alt-rock band to fluffy sixties pop fare doesn't sit well with me.
They were incredibly cool as it was and aesthetically they favoured floaty 70s dresses and bed hair over incarnating Edie Sedgewick. Responding during a Refinery 29 interview to who their musical influences are, their answers sound contrived. Citing Motown and 60s Girl Groups is fine but in this case it feels like they are simply namedropping references that suit their new look. What about their own upbringings? Tennessee's Father was Elvis Costello's Drummer with Z-Berg's Dad a Guitarist and Producer whose love of the Rolling Stones I could see having more of an effect on The Like's sound than The Supremes.
True, the band have been changing since last year's line up rejig but over the last month with an influx of The Like press releases in my inbox and sexy jingles on Spotify this overhaul reeks of a marketing man's wet dream. They've been around for 9 years and are suddenly being promoted as a new and upcoming band. I'm all for a band receiving a helping hand of a stylist but when the case in point is The Like who are loved for their unique look I can't help thinking of the phrase Cash Cow.
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