What is considered good music? Is it a complex composition or instrumental sophistication? Or an addictive melody? Maybe it is just something that defies expectations and provides a new perspective on sound.
Listening to Mr. Biron ultimately ends up with the question: What is considered good music? Mostly because The Conformists, self-proclaimed «rock failures» from St. Louis, Missouri, sound exactly like that: failures.
On the other hand, the 1996-founded trio simply picks up the pieces left by the punks back in the late 70s and early 80s and follows through to the extreme: rebelling against pop conformity, punching glossy, hyper-produced sound in the balls.
Mr. Biron, the penultimate song on Midwestless—the band's fifth album, coming on April 5—is confusing, even insulting to the close-minded, melody-addicted souls. The track celebrates its Swiss premiere here on Negative White today:
The Conformists are simultaneously overly simplistic and surprisingly intricate. Mr. Biron is angry, aggressive, raw—and often exceptionally weird. It is experimental punk rock jazz. The instruments diverge and converge, completely disconnected, only to collide again in glimpses of brilliance.
So, is Mr. Biron by The Conformists good music? Well, that is up to you. But one thing is sure: It is definitely exciting music for its bold approach to breaking conventions.
