The Pictures - I Don'tCare

Wed 28th Sep, 2005 in Music Reviews

Bands riding on the coat tails of a member’s more famous band trying to make it in the music industry. This story is starting to get a bit monotonous don’t you think? Sometimes fans of a popular band are reluctant to follow someone when they go into a side-project; there is such a high level of expectation and if people aren’t satisfied with what they hear, they will simply choose to ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. But what about if the band is just as good?

In this case of side-project fever, You Am I’s Davey Lane has nothing to worry about as The Pictures have managed to find themselves a following who are more than happy with their work. And why not? It’s got that catchy retro sound which has proven to be quite a hit thanks to bands such as Jet who have brought that style of old rock back to the future.

This latest single I Don’t Care from The Pictures’ album Pieces of Eight is yet another example of that old time rock’n’roll. This four-minute track starts out with that catchy pop/rock style they’ve adopted and is enjoyable but nothing infectious enough to stick in your head – until it gets to the climax. This is when one of those fantastic guitar riffs kicks in which makes you stop and pay attention and even break out into one of those embarrassing air guitar moments. Up until this point, I was a bit so-so on this single but a good guitar riff had managed to save the day once again.

The b-sides on this single are Knocked Out and Don’t You Wanna Know, recordings from their set at Triple J’s Live at the Wireless earlier in July. Both are pop/rock tunes that will get you toe-tapping but Don’t You Wanna Know has a more addictive beat and lyrics that will stick with you after hearing it. They definitely have stolen some of Jet’s style with those guitar riffs and even a few Nic Cester-like wails, but they do it successfully.

Unfortunately I don’t see any of these tracks being huge hits – they are simply tracks to get you in a good mood. But if you like You Am I, Jet or any of The Pictures’ previous work, you’ll find some value out of this single and get 12 minutes of joy.