These days, it can be hard to find good, simple, rousing rock ‘n’ roll music.  Our radio stations and music channels are flooded with pop tunes, modern rap songs, and country songs infiltrated with a dance backbeat.  Don’t get me wrong – sometimes I’m in the mood to bop along to this kind of music.  Sometimes, however, I just want to hear guitars wailing alongside a thumping good drum beat.  While traveling in Scotland this past summer, I discovered a band that truly delivered: Scotland’s The View.

“Cheeky for a Reason” album cover – The View

I first heard The View while driving to Glasgow from Drumnadrochit near Loch Ness.  My husband and I turned on the radio of our rental car, hoping to find some upbeat music for our long journey.  As soon as I heard the first strains of the band’s single “How Long”, from their fourth album “Cheeky for a Reason”, I knew I wanted to hear more.  I quickly jotted down the name of the band and the song into my iPhone with the intention of finding out more once I got home to Canada and my free wifi.

Back home, I found out more about the band.  The four man team, consisting of lead singer Kyle Falconer, guitarist Peter Reilly, bassist Kieren Webster, and drummer Steven Morrison, began the band in high school, covering punk songs from bands such as the Sex Pistols and Squeeze.  You can hear the influence of these bands in The View’s works today.  In 2006, the band became official when they released their first album, “The View EP”, where they earned their first number one in July of 2009 with “Wasted Little DJs”.

Three albums later and we come to “Cheeky for a Reason”.  As a new fan, I don’t feel that I have the right to comment on The View’s prior albums – I’ll leave that for the die-hards.  I do want to point out a few of my favorite songs on the album, available for purchase through iTunes in the UK.  Unfortunately, it is not available through iTunes yet in North America, but hopefully that will change soon.  You can buy their first major label album, “Hats Off to the Buskers”, through iTunes worldwide.

The View, hailing from Dundee, Scotland

Of course, you must hear “How Long” first.  This tune is an upbeat punk song, but blended with a sea shanty-esque chorus.  You haven’t even heard the whole song once, and you are already singing along with the boys, “How long has it been since you fell in love with a boy like me?”  I guarantee you this song will eventually get picked up for some romantic-comedy movie soundtrack (I picture Gerard Butler as the leading man).   Or you could go ahead and listen to “The Clock”, which has a haunting sound far from the realms of angsty punk.  If singer Falconer was a woman, people might think Fleetwood Mac was performing (“The Clock” reminds me a lot of “Rhiannon”).  “Bunker” is another favorite track, reminiscent of Oasis, but happier and less grandiose.

Kyle Falconer of The View

Whatever your mood, it seems that “Cheeky for a Reason” will suit it, with its wide range of styles all wrapped up into one record.  If The View can keep up this quality of sound, I predict that soon enough they’ll be collecting fans from around the world, and break out of the UK with a vengeance.  Keep your eye on this group, and ask yourself, “How Long” til they are coming to a record store near you?