A rose by any other band name

Franz Ferdinand? Or the Karelia? Or the Amphetameanies?

Kaiser Chiefs? Or Parva?

It’s an old story, but it’s still a recurring theme in music – famous bands that have existed in previous incarnations, or at least their band members have. It makes one wonder though – ok, it makes me wonder – what is it about the new improved version that makes it work? And when the artists all say, “I’m just being true to myself” or “We’re just being true to the sound of the band,” how do we or they even know what the truth is? What makes a band’s new sound “them?” Why is it different? And why does it all of a sudden work?

Former Indie upstarts (currently suffering from NME-darling backlash syndrome) Kaiser Chiefs were formerly known as Parva.

“New York(shire) band Parva are one of the most exciting British bands around at the moment. Hailing from Leeds, they ape no-one; they are their own band doing their own thing, making music that is as infectious as it is original in the process.” (Read more here)

I repeat, “they are their own band doing their own thing, making music that is as infectious as it is original in the process.” They apparently toured with the likes of The Rapture and The Libertines. And yet, they no longer sound remotely like Parva. They certainly no longer look remotely like Parva. (Exhibit A: Drummer Nick Hodgson’s former short, spiky haircut, compared to his current long, mod, “indie-ly correct” ‘do.) They change their sound, their look, Ricky starts yelping and drinking too much, and all of a sudden, they’re famous.

Alex Kapranos is well-known for having been in bands before Franz Ferdinand, and one of the songs off the new album You Could Have It So Much Better, “Outsiders,” is a reworked version of one his own songs. Paul Thompson, Franz’s drummer was in the Amphetameanies with Alex, as well as being a member of Pro Forma. Different to the Kaiser Chiefs in that this was a new grouping of band members, is it the new combination of band members and what they bring to the sound of the band?

Or is it a certain indefinable thing that just clicks, that just makes it right? The thing that makes the “It” people IT. The way you know when you just connect with someone. Can you assume that things, when they’re the way they’re supposed to be, the connection between the band members is "right," and everyone’s being true to themselves, that everything coalesces, and that’s why the hit it big?

Is it freak luck? Is it some reaction to or gauge of the trends in the music industry, or better, anticipation of where things are headed? Does that make them sell-outs? Can you fault a band for wanting to be successful? Can you doubt their integrity as musicians, or as being true to their art? Is it just one of those showbiz mysteries?

And the bigger question: Does it really matter?