Tour de Force

Biography

LIFE1005: The Ruling Class – Tour de Force cdep + 7” Photograph by: Antonio Silva CD: 4 tracks / 7": 2 tracks The few years that straddled the late 1980s and early ’90s have long been considered one of British rock music’s most vibrant periods – that moment when the Stone Roses, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and the like defied the notion that ‘indie’ was, by definition, underground and underachieving. Bolstered by unassailable self-confidence and innovative sonic ideas, their albums became generat...

LIFE1005: The Ruling Class – Tour de Force cdep + 7” Photograph by: Antonio Silva CD: 4 tracks / 7": 2 tracks The few years that straddled the late 1980s and early ’90s have long been considered one of British rock music’s most vibrant periods – that moment when the Stone Roses, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and the like defied the notion that ‘indie’ was, by definition, underground and underachieving. Bolstered by unassailable self-confidence and innovative sonic ideas, their albums became generational touchstones, and are now not only inextricably linked to the times in which they were created, they’re regarded as the precursors to the cultural phenomenon that was Britpop. But that same period has also long been considered one of music’s great anti-climaxes, a dashed opportunity. The Stone Roses disintegrated amidst drugs, warring egos, and too much time and money (as did Happy Mondays); My Bloody Valentine became paralyzed by its pursuit of an indefinable perfection; and countless others lost their original, most potent vision to the tides of fashion. It was, in fact, a moment concluded by such a heartbreaking failure of collective will that its music came to sound like a frozen remnant of a lost age, never to be reexamined or pushed forward. Until Tomas Kubowicz, that is. The Swedish guitarist and songwriter was living in his native Norrköping when, years after it had first come and gone, he heard this music for the first time. “Sweden is, musically, quite Anglo-inspired; many of my friends listened to this kind of music, and that’s the way I got hooked on it,” he recalls. “The Stone Roses was kind of an introduction – I never had any high thoughts of their debut album when I first listened to it, but when I picked up the album again a couple years later and had a listen, it totally exploded. It’s a masterpiece. I’ve never left them since.” In 2005, Tomas relocated to Stockholm, where he met bassist Anton Lindberg. Unable to find simpatico bandmates after a year of searching, the pair moved to London in summer of 2006. “We struggled quite hard to find the right people,” says Tomas. “The music we had to offer was [perceived as] being a bit uncool in London, which was more into post-punk, thousands of sub-Libertines and Arctic Monkey bands, and also the nu-rave scene was at its peak. But I never was disheartened by it, and just continued to write songs.” Eventually, however, they found drummer Alfonso Tammaro, and the newly solidified trio (with Tomas also providing vocals) quickly made an impression upon producer Mark Wallis, who has worked with the Smiths, the La’s, the Go-Betweens, and many others. The fruits of the band’s sessions with Mark make up their official debut, Tour de Force, a limited-edition CD/7-inch released by Shelflife Records. While its influences are clear, Tour de Force sounds surprisingly contemporary and singular in its vision. At once dreamlike and kinetic, pastoral and urban, it’s a conception of modern psychedelic pop as the Ruling Class’ forebears intended – but never quite got around to realizing. Tomas notes that since the band’s debut was recorded, “many people think our sound is quite original and fresh.” Yet while Tour de Force marks the Ruling Class’ debut as a recording act, it’s also a final document of the band in that particular manifestation. Eager to focus entirely on his songwriting and guitar playing, Tomas surrendered vocal duties to Jonathan Sutcliffe in December 2007, also bringing on board rhythm guitarist Andrew Needle. In the short time since then, the band has moved forward quickly: Legendary London indie label Fierce Panda – whose past discoveries include Coldplay and Keane – is now managing the band and will release a vinyl single on sub-label Fandango in July. Until then, marvel at Tour de Force – a rebirth, and a new way forward, for a sound whose time has come again. - Bulleye Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.