Band of the Week: Nightmare Of You

[August 10 - 16]

Nightmare Of You
Sounds Like: Indie Rock
Drinking Buddies: Dear and the Headlights, As Tall As Lions, Kevin Devine
Synopsis: Progressively back to basics.

Makes You Want To...: Sing along; Read fiction; Daydream amorously.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Nightmare Of You.


There's a certain joy in simplicity. We constantly search it out, and for good reason. Because as flambouyant and contrived as so many things in our life can become, there's nothing more refreshing than catching glimpses at where it all started. You have to be open-minded though, not so restrictive with your opinions. You can't judge modern things that harken toward that of their predecessors. You must be able to appreciate the old, while embracing the contemporary.

It's the simple stuff, the sort of rock music you're used to and crave at a very basic level, that makes Nightmare Of You so intriguing. I've been following these guys from New York City have been rocking their a simplified four-piece band since 2005, and since then, they've gaining quite the fan following over the years. Representing the town they're from, Nightmare Of You sings imaginative love tunes and cynical snaps to their over-pretentious peers in the music scene. And now freed of their music label chains (as if they could've been chained to begin with), now running their own indie label themselves, they're evermore free to represent themselves how they choose.

The music Nightmare Of You plays is what's more retrospective. Sticking to basic guitar chords, drawn out and steady - or twangy plucks mixed with electronic keyboarding reminiscent of The Cure - along with the ubiquitous guitar solo; their adhering to a more farmiliar rock trends further opens them to more creative song crafting avenues. Unfortunately, my verbosity as a wordsmith can't seem to do Nightmare Of You their proper justice, as they truly are a unique entity in music. While everyone else is busy with their fashion, their scene, or their gimicks, Nightmare Of You is content to relax, while playing they dig. It's very creative, and flows perfectly; what more do you need to enjoy some wicked tunes, eh?

Nightmare Of You is finally back home in New York, after some extremely extensive touring all throughout the beginning of summer. They have one more fête to throw in their hometown though. That is to say, their fantastic record release show tonight! After the releases of a few EPs, most notably their BANG! EP in 2007, and their eponymous debut back in 2005, Nightmare Of You is finally making their sophomore release a reality. Their independently released, brand new full-length album, Infomaniac, is presently on sale through digital outlets, including iTunes, while its physical brethren was introduced into stores as of yesterday. You can catch their tunes... literally all over the place... So I'll just give you their Myspace, as expected, and let you hunt down their purevolumeimeemfacebooketc yourself.

Nightmare Of You has been an old favourite of mine since high school, and I certainly hope you folks enjoy. Ah, hearing "I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard" and "Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf" bring back tonnes of memories. I hope you love them. For those in Chicago, hope you haven't been passing out due to the heat at Lolla. For everyone else, peace.