BestNewBands.com

 

This week, on BNBTV, we have been graced by a band called Noughts and Exes.  With their video “Start of Us,” this Hong-Kong based multicultural band–with members from Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and Britain–brings a taste of their structurally (and culturally) diverse, folk rock sound.  In this video alone, it is evident that Noughts and Exes is a bit different: the violin crooning in at the beginning along with an almost Spanish-sounding guitar creates a beautiful harmony…and then…electronic blips? Brushed precussion?  It’s like Sufjan Stevens, Postal Service, and talent got together and had a kid.  But, the best part about this song is that all of this layered complexity is cleverly disguised as simplicity.  The song sounds harmless and gentle–maybe even easily-disectable–ha! “Start of Us” has a whole lot going on, and it takes a quintet of intelligent musicians to devise such a feat.  Furthermore, the video’s use of piecing layers knowingly or unknowingly reflects this complexity (Forgive me, I’m an English major. Overanalyzing [see: making s*** up] is what I do best.).  Let’s put it this way: as a total nerd, I dig smart music and am really excited to look more into this band.  Expect an interview to follow soon (hopefully).

Also, did I mention Noughts and Exes was chosen by Time Magazine as one of “Five New Bands to Watch in 2011″?  Yeah, no big deal.

Check out their music (they’ve released two albums: Act One, Scene One in 2007 and The Start of Us in 2010) in a variety of places:  Myspace, Bandcamp, Facebook, or the Noughts and Exes’ official website.