Reading dance-punk merchants Does it Offend You, Yeah? May have taken their name from piece of dialogue from ‘The Office’, but it always struck me as having Nathan Barley-esque connotations, being wilfully trashy and really rather irritating in its vapidity. Of course, that’s what made the name so memorable. They called it a day at the end of last year, but Bobby Bloomfield isn’t resting on his laurels, unveiling a new project a mere two months on.
‘We are all about flutes, talk boxes, 70s synths and psychedelia,’ he writes of Heksagons, a band committed to making all of their music available for free, all the time. It’s no way to make a living, but I guess any musician’s primary objective, particularly in the current cultural climate, is to be heard. If no-one hears your stuff, you’re never going to sell any stuff, and if people have to pay to hear it, then you’re dead in the water. Well, at least that’s one theory. Harking back to models that far predate the record industry, Heksagons are seeking patronage. Or patreonage, which is like the 21st Century version. And why not? While banks and big businesses collapse, a return to simpler times may be the answer, and I’m all in favour of bringing back bartering. As an avid homebrewer, I reckon I’ve got some leverage, but I digress. To get back to Heksagons and their marketing strategies, there’s always the possibility that free exposure can lead to more lucrative jobs, like writing music for commercials or films. I certainly don’t mean that as a criticism. Hell, even William Burroughs did a Nike commercial.
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The four tracks on ‘Episodes One’ are wildly varied, from the crafty pop hooks of ‘Temper Tantrums’ to the orchestral-strike dramatics of ‘One of His Episodes’ via the grandly bombastic electro-prog of ‘Persiphone’. ‘Super-Ego’ melds the twisted pop nouse of Mansun with a shoegaze vibe, and it’s nothing if not inventive. It’s also rather good.
Free music to stream and download from Heksagons online
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