Name-Dropping These Bands Will Make You Sound Cool
Posted by lorraine on 4th April , 2010
Ever feel “behind the times”? Ever browse through your iPod only to find the same old titles, each classic like a French lover but not-so-fresh like, well, a French lover?
Now, thanks to MuseZu, you too can be one of those unfailingly hip jerks quick with the great new band out there. Just browse through these next few titles, embrace the new newness of these still-underground players and pull them out on your next date or hang-out. Name-dropping these bands will make you sound cool. Guaranteed. Now, go for it, Indie Newbie.
St Vincent
Why: It’s hard to dismiss an act that does such beautiful, yet simple videos: check out the weeping-on-command in “Actors Out Of Work” or the stilted, jarring camera work in “Marrow”. Well, it helps that she’s unbelievably pretty, in a porcelain doll way. Sound-wise, you remember that superb balancing act on Radiohead’s In Rainbows album, between the purity of Thom Yorke’s voice, the steady beats and distorted walls of guitar? It’s all in here, in sonic bloom. Only her voice sounds more like Billie Holiday’s. It’s pristine yet surprising like Bjork’s music can be but more approachable.
Key Tracks: Actor Out of Work, The Strangers, Marrow & The Party from her 2009 album “Actor.”
Cool Thing To Say: “It’s actually just one person, Annie Clark, and, I’m not trying to name drop here but: she’s toured as part of Sufjan Stevens’ band and she was a guitarist and background singers in the 27-member group Polyphonic Spree which is headed by Tim DeLaughter, the guy from that awesome 90’s alternative rock band Tripping Daisy.”
The Morning Benders
Why: Because it’s pretty much impossible to hate it because it’s the kind of summery California (they’re from Berkeley) pop that we haven’t seen since Rooney or Death Cab For Cutie (before they got depressed; remember “Pah, Pah, this is the sound of settling!“?). It’s just infectious and innocent-sounding but with the sort of intelligent instrumentation that comes with the label “Baroque Pop” some have slapped on them. They look like they’re about 17 but that’s a good thing if you’re a girl and are kind of into day-dreaming. Here some morsels on their MySpace page. Check out their concert listings because the Morning Benders are in the middle of their first U.S. tour headlining, and not opening for a change. One gripe: the term “morning benders” sounds suspiciously as lame a reference to hard-ons as “morning wood” and there’s already band called that.
Key Tracks: Cold War, Promises & All Day Day Light from 2010’s “Big Echo.”
Cool Thing to Say: “Yeah, they look like those fucking Jonas Brothers but they’re serious, man. I mean, their last album is, like, they’re ninth release. Plus they’re the coolest thing to come out of the East Bay since (Indie Rock/Hip-Hop band) Why?”
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Why: Well, isn’t it kind of cool to say you listen to Serge Gainsbourg’s daughter who adopted the same sing/talk vocalization style as her illustrious (and pervy) dad? And even if he was kind of France’s answer to Bob Dylan, that still makes Charlotte way cooler than that fuckwit Jakob Dylan. If you have a girlfriend who’s remotely hip and romantic and a Netflix account, you might have seen Charlotte in Michel Gondry’s movie “The Science of Sleep.” This is that girl’s second album and, for this one, she had Beck write all the music and much of the words for her. On a few of the tracks, including the single “Heaven Can Wait,” the two duet like Serge used to with Jane Birkin. Check out the visually stunning video here, and don’t be surprised if the link’s dead–they’ve been talking down all “unofficial” links.
Key Tracks: Heaven Can Wait, Trick Pony, Dandelion & Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes (for a little sensual French cred) from her 2010 album “IRM.”
Cool Thing to Say: “The team-up with Beck is cool but if you really want to get deep check out her first album, for which the guys from the French Band AIR and Jarvis Cocker, the hot dude from Pulp, wrote the music and words.”
Black Bug
Why: Picked this one up from those insufferable music nerds at Aquarius Records in the Mission. Pompous? Yes. Totally right? Well, yes. It’s the most hardcore thing on this list by far and if it sounds scary at first, think of it like a post-punk Sonic Youth and listen for the melodies in the noise. And appreciate these Swedes’ lo-fi appeal. Listen on their MySpace page (Hey, don’t knock it, you Facebooksters, MySpace still is the simplest and most straightforward way to stream whole songs from whatever band, at the drop of a hat) or through Aquarius Record’s archives.
Key Tracks: Inside Out, Beating Your Heart Out & Fell In Love With from 2010’s self-titled release.
Cool Thing to Say: (I’m deferring to the nerds at Aquarius Records here but if you can somehow pull out this whole line out of your ass, you’re bound to get some serious cred.) “This Swedish new wave garage punk trio is a furious feral synth-driven monster. Their sound is equal parts Cold Wave Gloom, Riot Grrl Yowl, in-the-red Punk Rock, and ultra raw, blown-out Garage Pop. But even that’s a bit reductive.”
Broken Bells
Why: Because it’s the latest project from musician and producer Brian Burton (who by now you should recognize as Danger Mouse) and the James Mercer, the voice of “your favorite band” The Shins. Burton famously made 2004’s Grey Album, in which he mashed The Beatles’ White Album with Jay-Z’s Black Album. He then formed a little group called Gnarls Barkley (don’t tell me you didn’t go “Crazy” over that one.) and then he produced Gorillaz’s Demon Days (2005) and Beck’s Modern Guilt (2008) before teaming with James Mercer. The voice and pulse of The Shins had a falling out with his bandmates and got together with Burton to create this slick, poppy little gem knows as Broken Bells. If you see them live, they often cover “Crimson & Clover” which is a very good fit. I dare you, DARE YOU, to listen to “The Ghost Inside” and not immediately like it. You can do so right here, and be sure to check out Burton’s completely unassuming face while he drums on yet another hit project. Screw Timbaland, seriously.
Key Tracks: The Ghost Inside, The High Road, Vaporize & Float (in order of Most Like Gnarls Barkley to Most Like The Shins)
Cool Thing to Say: “Yeah, Danger Mouse worked with Beck on his last album and on tracks like “Modern Guilt” you can see he was unto something cool. But he really needed James Mercer’s falsetto in the same way he exploited Cee-Lo’s falsetto with Gnarls Barkley.”
p.s.: remerciements a Geneva Kitchell for introducing me to much of this music.
