Starting off with the general bio, The Credins are a band from Norway made up of three guys (wait... there are four in the picture...): Peter (vocalist/guitarist), Magnus (vocalist/bassist), and Stian (drummer). The picture makes them automatically look like The Beatles to me, but Momma just raised me that way I suppose. My favorite line here though is: "...their target was clear: To become the greatest rock'n'roll band of all time." And so far, on the way to achieving that goal, they've appeared on British and Norwegian radio, along with winning several competitions throughout the region.
Now, here's the tough part: Their website link on their WLYS page doesn't work. Their Facebook gives me no music to hear. Their twitter hasn't been updated in a month. LastFM makes you create a station, instead of just playing songs. The MySpace page only has 6 songs, 5 of which I've already heard. So, in effort to maintain accessibility to my readers, I'm going to go ahead and post my thoughts on the songs you can find on their WLYS page at: http://weloveyoursongs.com/artist/1167/The+Credins
"From Beyond" was a single released by the band in 2010, and right away it's got a great California/Weezer-esq beat, without the echo that I almost anticipated cringing at. The song is very simple in a way, keeping things raw and moving throughout the song. There's harmonies in the chorus, which I have to admit, you don't always hear these days. The guitar, I think, is what makes it. There's a total beach sound in the way it plays, but the vocals drag it back in-land. This could be a great dance-at-the-concert number.
The other song posted from this single release is "Just Keep Looking Up." It's clearly optimistic, but I have to say that the lyrics are sort of interesting in the verses. They're not just your run-of-the-mill happy pop lyrics - there's more there. This is what people used to refer to as "how those kids from Dawson's Creek spoke." There's an elegant story woven throughout actually, despite it being young and empathize-able. God this would have fit in so perfectly with 90's-WB programming.
"All I've Ever Known" was the 2009 single, and the description of a "fresh rock 'n' roll sound" is definitely on the mark. This one has more edge, and I'd even venture to say a bit more grit to it. The recording is a little rougher, with the drums really taking so much of the front sound, despite the vocals. Later though, there is this really great classic sounding guitar solo that I feel like isn't as much on mainstream as it used to be. The contrast between the songs is sort of along the lines of the evolution of the Goo Goo Dolls - from Jed to Gutterflower.
The Secret end of the Poetry, the EP released in 2009, gives us the final two songs available for listen on the site. "Escape"shows that this 2009 sound was pretty much dominant as one thing, and there was some change into 2010 toward a more pop sound. This particular song is produced for sure, complete with echos for emphasis of certain lines and another drum-heavy beat. Unfortunately, the site cuts off song titles sometimes, so this last one, to me, is "Nothing is left to..." Chance? The piano that starts it sounds like something straight off a karaoke track, and the lead vocals are definitely better suited for the more up-beat songs. Unfortunately, this was not the strongest song to end the listening session on.
This was one we started out on a much higher note, and ended in a hard way. However, let's remember - the beginning songs were the more recent work, so technically, we're going uphill!! I wish I could get my hands on a fuller album, but unfortunately that's just not in the cards for today. Maybe they'll read this and I'll get something to listen to... maybe. =)