Children Collide: The Long Now

By Kate Xian

The distinctly Aussie Children Collide have perfected the sound that the Nylon culture so desperately tries to recreate – dirty, noisy, and full of precocious kick ass attitude. With the direction of producer Dave Sardy who has worked with the infamously rebellious Oasis and Wolfmother, the US debut The Long Now encompasses what real rock n’ roll is all about.

Opening the album, the ever catchy Across the Universe is filled with high-energy performances with Ryan Caesar on drums and Johnny Mackay on guitar and vocals. The current single Chosen Armies also features one of the coolest interactive videos I’ve seen to date. With panoramic views, you, the viewer get to choose your angle all with just a click of the mouse. Want a spinning 360 view? Just hold down that button!

Among the growing culture of dance rock, dance pop, dance hip hop, and electro mashups, Children Collide have been able to stick to their guns and create unobtrusive solid rock tracks that are filled with driving guitar rhythms, pounding drums, and heavy bass lines (hey I had to give a shout out to bassist Heath Crawley). Standouts on the US debut include Marie Marie Pt. 2, a great head bobbing tune that is sure to become a classic, and Cannibal, a sweet rock ballad about a carnivorous woman falling for a vegetarian. What could possibly be more romantic of a story? The futurist Brave Robot also makes our shortlist, a little ditty inspired by a documentary on a space lander that was sent to Mars. Sound bizarre? But its got killer vocals and an invigorating bass line.

With a style reminiscent of Jet, a dash of the Arctic Monkeys, and just a hint of The Used, Children Collide provides a familiar sound that is ironically fresh among the latest dance craze. The Long Now are one of those rare finds you happen to stumble across at an indie musical lineup at the local bar or on the side stage of a rockin’ musical fest.

The Long Now is filled with lyrics that take a stab at all things socio-political and challenges the “people who make art to get blow jobs.” With an attitude focused on putting wannabes in their place and a sound that doesn’t bend to trends or making the latest Ryan Seacrest Top 40, Children Collide revives rock’s birthright and the dying art of sticking it to the man.