Pixies were the deal - gouge away in '91

[Davey]

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Didn't we all fall a little for Kim back in the day? Who would you say is the '00 version of the Pixies? Popular, but still kind of underground and edgy? Seems like rock music is a little dumber today, not as sophisticated. Not that the Pixies were that deep, but at least you could wonder some about what some of the songs mean. Like, is 7 just a rhyme with heaven, or does it mean more? Why is man 5? Why a monkey? Am I a monkey? Will l go to heaven? I think that's one of the reasons TV On The Radio has been getting so much acclaim in recent times, they revisit some of that Pixies sophistcated angst, the touch of socio-political awareness that surfaces from time to time, and they get kind of noisy too, but with their own style.

But check it out - Frankie has hair :)

[Swish]

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Didn't we all fall a little for Kim back in the day? Who would you say is the '00 version of the Pixies? Popular, but still kind of underground and edgy? Seems like rock music is a little dumber today, not as sophisticated. Not that the Pixies were that deep, but at least you could wonder some about what some of the songs mean. Like, is 7 just a rhyme with heaven, or does it mean more? Why is man 5? Why a monkey? Am I a monkey? Will l go to heaven? I think that's one of the reasons TV On The Radio has been getting so much acclaim in recent times, they revisit some of that Pixies sophistcated angst, the touch of socio-political awareness that surfaces from time to time, and they get kind of noisy too, but with their own style.

But check it out - Frankie has hair :)

Their new cd is "chock full" of witty lyrics such as "The hipsters mean-muggin' on me all night long" and "Her daddy's a lawyer, and mine's not around. She has good manners, I'm rough all around", plus "Take a look at my life, all black. Take a look at my clothes, all black". Toss in some artificial teen-aged angst that probably comes from having lots of cash and hanging out with the likes of such bad-a<a>ssed chicks like Hillary Duff and Nicole Richie, and you have a natural incubator for great song-writing. :sleep:

Maybe Fall Out Boy would be another great choice?

Swish

[Rae]

Seems like rock music is a little dumber today, not as sophisticated. Not that the Pixies were that deep, but at least you could wonder some about what some of the songs mean.

Yeah, how many college kids have gone out and rented Un Chien Andalou because of "Debaser"? ;-)

You're dead on about TV on the Radio and I hard-pressed to think of any other current bands that fit yr challenge so neatly, but I think there's still a healthy experimental movement in rock. The Liars immediately leap to mind as another band that rocks in a pretty inaccessible way... or really, now that it occurs to me, how about Modest Mouse? I don't mean "Float On," but they can get into some strange sonic territory and Isaac Brock's lyrics will never be accused of being overly direct...

~Rae

[Davey]

... or really, now that it occurs to me, how about Modest Mouse? I don't mean "Float On," but they can get into some strange sonic territory and Isaac Brock's lyrics will never be accused of being overly direct...

~Rae
Yeah, although I tend to think of Modest Mouse as a 90s band, and the Pixies were probably their main influence, along with a bit of Talking Heads and some other rhythmic quirkiness. Pixies were such a great guitar band, though. Modest Mouse, though I do often love em, just doesn't rock very hard, at least not very often. But good pick, probably close as anyone, though MM is getting to be kind of safe and inoffensive when compared to something like Surfer Rosa or Doolittle, even accounting for the time-shift. Not only that, but the Pixies could really knock the cobwebs off a joint like in that gouge away video.

Early on I thought maybe Idlewild or some of those other hot young Brit bands (recently the Libertines and Bloc Party) could take it there, but they all seem to mellow out, and play it safe, and dumb it up (or self-destruct like our Pixies loving D-Plan) as soon as they start to get attention. Too much industry pressure these days I imagine, even if you aren't directly controlled by the industry. Enon had some moments, but never threatened to break through to a bigger audience. Don't you get the feel that the music world is just about ready for another Smells Like Teen Spirit? Something to put the shame back into crappy bands like Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance :)

[Davey]

Maybe Fall Out Boy would be another great choice?
Yea, knew I could count on your perceptibility of the obvious. How could I have forgotten about Fall Out Boy? Sheesh! One of my favorites, too!

[Slosh]

Les Savy Fav carries on in the Pixies-esque tradition me thinks without dumbing down their sound.

Off topic but where the hell is that new Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers album? I'm waiting . . .

Off topic again but I just found a mint condition Harman/Kardon 3270 stereo receiver at a thrift shop for $25! I see this thing sold new for $300. I'm using it in my garage for now but will give it to my daughter when she goes off to college in the fall of '09 (paired with some nice-sounding $22 thrift shop Mission standmount speakers). Pretty nice receiver with a real phono stage, true pre-out/main ins, two tape loops, a decent amp and even sub outputs. Missing the remote though but who cares? It'll most likely be connected to a laptop and an iPod when she uses it and I'm sure any $10 aftermarket remote will have the codes.

NP:

[Davey]

Les Savy Fav carries on in the Pixies-esque tradition me thinks without dumbing down their sound.

Off topic but where the hell is that new Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers album? I'm waiting . . .
Yea, sure, but only about 100 people even know who that band with the crazy semi-naked fat guy is. Thousands of little known indie bands sound kind of like the Pixies, I was just trying to think of one that has made it to a wider audience. Seems like most bands today kind of pigeon-hole themselves to just a narrow sound. How often do you hear a clever little band like the Shins erupt into a wall of feedback-drenched guitar noise? Almost never.

Me wants some Hellsayers too. All I've seen reported is that "All You Need To Sleep" will be released this summer.

Also been listening to some of the new Electrelane, very cool stuff. Still a month away, No Shouts No Calls. Had to call off the European tour when the singer for Arcade Fire went ill, but five songs playing at their site ... check out the mostly instrumental "Between The Wolf And The Dog", or the catchy single "To The East", or my favorite "After The Call"

http://www.electrelane.com/tourblog/#player


Or for a much better sounding version of After the Call (7.2MB @ 320K) ... http://www.harmoniummusic.com/share/electrelane-afterthecall.mp3

also another cool one called Cut and Run ...
http://www.harmoniummusic.com/share/electrelane-cutandrun.mp3

[Slosh]

Yea, sure, but only about 100 people even know who that band with the crazy semi-naked fat guy is. Thousands of little known indie bands sound kind of like the Pixies, I was just trying to think of one that has made it to a wider audience.And you went with TV on the Radio :confused: Well, obviously those 100 Les Savy Fav fans are way cooler than those 100 TVOTR fans :p And don't try to get cutesy by throwing The Shins in there. I counterpoint with Spoon (who are much, much more Pixies-esque, and better than The Pixies ever were to boot). So there! :D

NP:

[Davey]

And you went with TV on the Radio :confused: Well, obviously those 100 Les Savy Fav fans are way cooler than those 100 TVOTR fans :p
Return to Cookie Mountain is a major label release and sold over 100,000 copies last year, which puts TVOTR in a little bit different demographic than Les Savy Fav, who I agree is more Pixies-like, but that wasn't the point. Love Spoon, don't remind me much of the Pixies, but yea, they could fit the challenge if they were a little more edgy, and quirky, and subject to the occasional explosion and/or meltdown. As it is, Britt winds up doing guest shots on Veronica Mars. Ugh. Not quite the stuff of rock legends :)

[Davey]

Return to Cookie Mountain is a major label release and sold over 100,000 copies last year, which puts TVOTR in a little bit different demographic ...

Funny, after posting that yesterday, picked up the Saturday paper, and guess who just did a couple sold out shows in SF? No, it wasn't Les Savy Fav :)

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/tvontheradio.jpg

TV on the Radio on top

BROOKLYN QUINTET DELIVERS A NEW KIND OF ROCK
By Jim Harrington
MediaNews
Article Launched: 03/31/2007 01:50:11 AM PDT

One of the most exciting things in music is to see a band that is at the peak of its powers. Just to be clear, that's not what you are witnessing when you go see the Rolling Stones, the Who or any other act whose creative heyday was decades ago.

In contrast, TV on the Radio's time appears to be now. Seeing the Brooklyn band at any other point during its career, including down the road a year or so, might not deliver the same rush as catching it in 2007.

And what a rush it was to be among the sold-out crowd at TV on the Radio's show on Thursday night at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Indeed, it felt like we were watching what might currently be the most important band in popular music.

The five-piece group, which also performed before a capacity audience at the same venue on Wednesday, took the tired rock genre and made it feel vital, challenging and even a bit dangerous during its 90-minute performance.

The set list was drawn primarily from the band's two full-length albums, 2004's "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" and last year's "Return to Cookie Mountain." The latter is the record that has made TV on the Radio into stars. It's received rave reviews from seemingly all major publications, including Spin magazine, which named "Return to Cookie Mountain" the top disc of 2006.

Kicking off the show with a dreamy version of the new album's "Tonight," the group - which features vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, drummer Jaleel Bunton, guitarist-vocalist Kyp Malone, guitarist David Sitek and bassist Gerard Smith - quickly went about making music that defied any type of easy classification.

The band took no prisoners as it pounded through the first album's "The Wrong Way," a tune that uses a metal edge to slice together early-'60s surf pop and modern punkabilly. Such tracks as "Dreams" and "Province" sounded even stronger, and vastly more muscular, live than they do on record.

There were many highlights, yet none greater than when the band clawed and scratched its way through "Wolf Like Me," which is perhaps the new album's finest track. Bunton fueled the number with thunderous beats, while Adebimpe - a dynamic front man throughout the evening - jumped about the stage and swatted the air with his left hand as if a hive's worth of bees were buzzing about his head.

The quintet closed its main set with a high-flying rendition of "Satellite," a tune found on the band's first EP, 2003's "Young Liars," and then returned for a trio of encore songs that left no doubt that TV on the Radio is at the top of its game.


http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_5564755

[Rae]

Love Spoon, don't remind me much of the Pixies, but yea, they could fit the challenge if they were a little more edgy, and quirky, and subject to the occasional explosion and/or meltdown. As it is, Britt winds up doing guest shots on Veronica Mars. Ugh. Not quite the stuff of rock legends :)

So true!!

~Rae

[Whooptee]

These guys don't really fit your criteria, but they remind a little bit of the Pixies. In spirit at least. They're Canadian, and they sing in French. As if that wasn't cool enough, they have a dedicated tambourine player. Check it out!

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[Ex Lion Tamer]

These guys don't really fit your criteria, but they remind a little bit of the Pixies. In spirit at least. They're Canadian, and they sing in French. As if that wasn't cool enough, they have a dedicated tambourine player. Check it out!

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Effing brilliant man. Who are they? That tambourine player is a hoot.

[Whooptee]

"Les Breastfeeders". It doesn't look like it embedded right to me, but since you saw it, I guess it's ok?

Here's the link in case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZncxdMbw-o

John

[Davey]

"Les Breastfeeders". It doesn't look like it embedded right to me, but since you saw it, I guess it's ok?
Great stuff! Long time, good to see you around John. Thought maybe a Kim Deal post would get your attention :)