The Drums - I Felt Stupid

So The Drums have just been nominated for the BBC Sound of 2010 accolade. Quelle surprise what with all the hype they’ve been enjoying this year. Quite convenient as well that the release of ‘I Felt Stupid’ coincides so brilliantly with the announcement of the nominations. Might even push it a couple of places up that iTunes chart (that’s about six downloads these days). The Drums do, however, absolutely deserve their nomination regardless of what the various hype-phobic critics around here may say (this is not either because most other acts out there are rubbish, though let’s face it most of them are).

But still, The Drums are very good and this is utterly exemplified in ‘I Felt Stupid’, a song that epitomises them for their simple, effortlessly cool and wonderful ways. Of course it is easy to link them to the Beach Boys, the similarities are vivid - catchy, simple melodies with perfect harmonisation. But their tone and instrumentation belongs to a different time, more echoing that of The Cure.

The surf may have mellowed for the time being yet The Drums still have the tricks up their collective sleeves to pull off something that easily stands up to the hugely popular ‘Let’s Go Surfing’. It may be a heartbreaking love song, but you want to dance, you want to sing, you want to smile. The Drums don’t have the same melancholy effect as The Cure, they prefer to coat it in glitter and do some little jig around it.