Music is defined by trends. Trends in sound, trends in fashion, trends in instrumentation. But recently it has become more and more defined by one trend in particular: promotion.
It's a subject I touched upon at the start of the year, and you only have to take the example of 2014's breakthrough act Jungle, whose idea of self-promotion was, well, to do no promotion at all. They stayed out of the spotlight and almost nothing was known of the band who would go on to release a Mercury-nominated top 10 album in July.
Perhaps Jungle have started the latest trend in music. Idea For A Film give very little away about themselves through their website and Bandcamp page, other than their Manchester roots and the fact that they make music in a 'dingy, disused Victorian mill; there is no heating, no ventilation, and the tap water has a murky greenish tinge to it.' There is something strangely alluring about knowing so little about a group, particularly when an introductory email from one member of the band simply states that they want to 'recommend something new to you'!
But anyway, on to the music. 'Can't Sit Still' is the only glimpse of music we have so far from Idea For A Film, and it's absolutely remarkable. The song has a certain ghost-like quality to it, with its shimmering guitars, spooky vocals and haunting soundscapes. It's magical stuff from the first second, with a lengthy instrumental intro soon giving away to the manipulated vocals and cryptic lyrics that speak of 'gasping for air' before asking the listener 'Do you really know what you want?' The cacophony of noise that precedes the piano-led outro only adds to the unsettling atmosphere that has been so stunningly put together here.
Idea For A Film have managed to carve out a truly unique sound of their own in 4 and a half minutes of ethereal, blissed-out brilliance. In one more little quirk, it will cost you a cool £1,000 to purchase it from Bandcamp. But fear not, for you can stream it for free below.
