I haven’t read the news today, so I don’t really have anything to complain about. I met Melissa for lunch at J.P. Lees and then visited Ian, who is busy studying for the bar. Melissa brought me back two 22oz. bottles of Fat Tire from Chicago.
Instead of nagging, I figure I’ll do something I’ll share my ardor for some young bands (or “emerging artists” as the legitimate press calls them) that have been occupying my time. I don’t really have the potential to link to many audio files, but I’ll try to direct you to their websites so you can explore and fall in love as I have. The reason I’m doing this is because I was talking to someone yesterday who thought that after college it’s easier for people to fall into habits and lose touch with what’s happening and in the world of new music. Give these bands a chance. I think some are well-known by now, as the Interweb generates hype in mysterious ways.
Volcano! – Rich Fessler told me about how Bear Claw played a few shows with them, and his description piqued my interest. A quick google search took me to their website where I quickly marveled at the songs on Beautiful Seizure. Stilted, out-of-time drumming, frenetic guitar parts, electronics, and falsetto vocals. Remove one piece and it’d sound like a chaotic mess, but as a single unit it sounds fantastic. From Milwaukee.
The Black Angels – Well, it looks like I’ve been beaten to the whole Spacemen 3 revival thing. Someone in a record store when I was driving around the country mentioned the Black Angels as a cool Austin band. I didn’t pay attention then, but now I see they’re garnering a lot of praise. To me it sounds like Psychic Ills but the singer sounds like Ian Curtis (or his retarded adopted kid brother, that douchebag from Interpol). Ian thinks he sounds more like Ade from Clinic. Either way, they’ve got the 13th Floor Elevators drone thing going on in the background and plenty of druggy, intriguing guitar parts. From Austin.
STNNNG – Jet told me about STNNNG and Jet rarely if ever is wrong about good music. This is a great young band playing what my friends have affectionately termed, “Evan Rock.” You know, slightly heavy, jagged guitar rock with spoken-sung vocals? Think June of 44, GVSB. STNNG do this so well. They have a new album coming out in the next few months, and one review of a recent concert says that a particular new tune was “the highlight of the live music year.” From Minneapolis.
Ponytail – Weird stuff. Jolting and adrenaline fueled trash rock. I like it a lot. I don’t know how easy it would be to find their records, but at least take a listen, it’s pretty cool stuff. The drums sound about as disgusting and broken as Brian from Lightning Bolt’s kit, and the guitar… I don’t know what the hell the guitar sounds like. Figure it all out for yourself. From Baltimore.
Bikneva – Despite the fact that they have one of the most annoying websites in existent (spy the little Asian girls that randomly giggle without stopping, even when you’re trying to stream music), Bikneva crafts really intriguing experimental pieces using minimal instrumentation (dare I say “post-rock”?). Late night music. From Milwaukee (?).
Crystal Stilts – Hanging out at Rocks In Your Head in SoHo one day, I was given this band’s 7″ as a bonus free gift for engaging the staff in conversation about various UK space rock bands and the new crop of American bands that are feeding off them (see: Psychic Ills, The Black Angels). I went home and listened to this twice in a row. Guitar melodies are burried under layers of fuzz and delay. The vocals are so reverb-drenched it sounds like they’re singing in another world. Trippy as hell. From Brooklyn.
