Remember
Godzilla? Not the original Japanese classic but the hyper-publicized, disastrously over-budget 1998 American version? If so (and who could ever really shake the memory of that god-awful Puff Daddy-Jimmy Page collaboration the film spawned), you understand the risks of a hype machine in overdrive. It's the same force that made Karen O ubiquitous and Ryan Adams irrelevant — and now it has the
Subways in its icy clench. Having won the 2004 Glastonbury Festival's Unsigned Performers Competition in the UK and been named one of
Spin's "next big things" here in the States, this English trio is starting to make waves on both sides of the pond. But is all the chatter worth it? The jangly guitars and New Yorkish attitude on the band's debut album,
Young for Eternity, might make it seem like just another Strokes knockoff. But buried somewhere beneath the layers of smarm (most likely in bassist-singer-bombshell Charlotte Cooper's gorgeous vocals) is an original that's worth the attention.
