Why New Fries Rules by David Barclay (2015)
New Fries
In general, I use the word “cool” in the global sense: to denote entities that all of us can apply the term to with consensus and unity. Moms and dads, piano teachers and aunties, colleagues and peers unite in saying leather jackets are cool, cigarettes & shades are cool, raves are cool, scooters are cool, high top fades are cool.
Although I might describe some cheese-ball, laughably contrived musician with the universal “cool” (think Tom Waits), rarely does a creative endeavor drive me to describe it as “cool” though. Instead, I try to point out the singular and concrete properties with which I have fallen in love. In New Fries’ case, I might say: “I am so into the staggering beats, like a person falling over looped into an amazingly funky groove!” or “The singing is perfect – synchronicity between delivery, style and content at levels really only seen in rap!”
However, after seeing this band play for the first time, I was dumbfounded and found myself scrambling for the right words. Nothing came except “cool”. This band is so cool. Transcending the universal application of the word and landing right at my heart of hearts, this is what I think is cool in this world. To watch them is akin to seeing an older sibling act dangerous and smart, or a parent act protective and angry, or a friend express a new hidden talent, or a crush materialize and reciprocate – all forms of primordial cool. To listen to them is like reading a decoding key of true cool, like watching all the “behind the music” episodes for the first time, simultaneously and in parallel. This band is the inner cool, our secret cool – the kind of cool that changes your life.
David Barclay is the singer/drummer for Coach Longlegs and an assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University.
