Hyped on: Perfect Porridge; Some Velvet Blog; Synthetic Sound Machine
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Who: This Kansas City, Mo., quintet struck indie rock gold when they became the first band signed to Chop Shop Records, the freshly minted label started by “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The O.C.” music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. A full-length debut is due in April; meanwhile, Chop Shop has reissued the group’s self-produced four-song EP, which is already generating an avalanche of buzz.
What: Tigers frontman Kenn Jankowski’s last gig was as guitarist in the now-defunct Golden Republic, but his new group’s lush, electro-tinged dream-pop is about as far a cry from that group’s labored dance-rock as you can get. The acoustic guitars, twinkling synths and spaced-out vocal harmonies of “Buildings & Mountains” recall the widescreen arrangements of Doves from their “Lost Souls” days, while “Sinkin’ Annie, Down, Down, Down, Down,” with its tricky tempo changes and multilayered vocals, could pass for the New Pornographers doing a Pinback cover. No wonder Patsavas and Chop Shop snapped these guys up.
Made for: Fans of smartly crafted, vaguely experimental indie rock. Music supervisors looking for something emotive and slightly epic that’s cheaper to license than Death Cab and Coldplay. (Actually, will Patsavas even let other music supervisors touch these guys? Hm…)
X-Factor: Despite the EP’s lush sound, most of it was recorded at home in various band members’ bedrooms. “If you listen carefully,” says Jankowski, “you might hear crickets and traffic and cop cars, creaking of the floors and drunk roommates running into the walls.” – AH
The Young Punx, "Your Music Is Killing Me" (Ultra)
Hyped on: Audioporn Central; The Lemur Blog
Official site
MySpace
Who: Electronic musicians from London whose self-described sound (“mashpop and punkstep”) has won favor in the British DJ community, especially with Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim), who has already remixed one single from the group. The Punx’s debut, “Your Music is Killing Me,” will hit stateside in April and, unfortunately, not contain any of their early work, which was decidedly more mashup-based and featured uncleared samples of Madonna, Motorhead and even the “Rocky” theme song.
What: The difference between the Young Punx and any number of other aspiring electro-pop acts? Musicianship. Not only are the Punx a full-on live band, as of now they refuse to use samples (at least, ones they haven’t created on their own). Musically, the band’s mix of old-school Big Beat, full-on pop and faux disco (especially on their album’s vocoder-heavy title track) creates a positive, upbeat groove, veering them a bit more into Deee-Lite than Daft Punk.
Made for: Discriminating pop fans, dance patrons with sense of humor and indie rockers tiring of praising Justice and Simian Mobile Disco.
X-Factor: For those of us who love the BBC America TV show “The Mighty Boosh,” watch for an appearance in the Punx video for “Rockall” by series regular Michael Fielding (who plays Naboo on “Boosh”). If you haven’t watched the show…shame. – KM
Times New Viking, "Rip It Off" (Matador)
Hyped on: Tiny Mix Tapes; cat dirt sez; I Rock Cleveland
MySpace
Who: For this sparse, shamelessly art school group from Columbus, Ohio, imitation (Pavement-copying guitar fuzz) is the most direct route to flattery—Pavement’s label, Matador Records, plucked the trio from certain obscurity and the critics have stood at attention.
What: On your fancy Sound Dock, the distorted vocals and faint percussion on “Rip It Off” will sound like “Umbrella” blasted at a minor league baseball stadium. The best advice: strap on the headphones to hear the smallest hint of a melody leak through Jared Phillips’ shoe-gazey washes on album standout “Faces on Fire.” Keyboardist Beth Murphy—who from photos seems to enjoy wearing those boxy Wal-Mart cashier smocks—offsets the harsh chords with sweet (and lucid!) singing. “The Wait” is not for everybody (this whole album isn’t, really), but the off-key vocals and purposely DIY production recalls the unique pop sensibility of Guided by Voices’ Bob Pollard.
Made for: GBV fans are legendary for celebrating the latest lo-fi wonderkids on the block, so they’re certainly into these guys. Fans of the Thermals could champion or be annoyed. Semiotics grad students will most certainly champion.
X-Factor: Even though their real names are well documented (and featured in the Matador-penned press materials), the band insists on the names: Hamish Kilgour, Mark Ibold, Brix E. Smith. Oy! – MR
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