Crystal Stilts, "Alight of Night" (Slumberland)
Hyped on: Tiny Mix Tapes; Covert Curiosity; Brooklyn Vegan
MySpace
Who: The great lo-fi revolution of 2008 has leaked into 2009 with this Brooklyn five piece—along with Vivian Girls and Wavves—catching much of the attention, especially in Europe. They’re like more popular than Barack Obama and boiled dinners in parts of Germany and the Czech Republic these days.
What: You hear a bit of the Beach Boys and Velvet Underground, and even more of Joy Division, in the sometimes sunny, always moody garage-pop on this, the band’s debut LP. Layers of surf guitar and bouncy drum fills make these tunes infectious and danceable, which is sorta surprising given the band’s minimal setup—the tambourines claps and archival music video for “Departure” gives the standout track a distinctly psychedelic vibe, as if Ian Curtis had somehow landed on Haight-Ashbury as a 10-year-old. Brad Hargett’s disinterested vocals are a big part of this mood, fading into ether on slow-burner “Spiral Transit.” The organ line on “Crystal Stilts” is notable, as is our need to incorporate tambourine into our next karaoke performance.
Made for: Fans of the Crystals, Crystal Antlers and Crystal Castles—also all great acts. When it comes to band names, apparently Crystal is the new Black.
X-Factor: Former Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose works the skins, standing up, just like the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker. – MR
Spain Colored Orange, "Sneaky Like a Villain" (Shout It Out Loud)
Hyped on: Parasites & Sycophants; Side One Track One; lost in your inbox
MySpace
Who: Led by vocalist/keyboardist Gilbert Alfaro and trumpeter Eric Jackson, this Houston-based psych-rock collective first surfaced with a 2005 EP (“Hopelessly Incapable of Standing in the Way”) that helped them nab “Best Band” honors at the Houston Press’ annual music awards. After some label-related delays, this debut full-length finally quietly hit stores in March.
What: Spain Colored Orange take the psychedelic pop of bands like ELO, Flaming Lips and Apples in Stereo as their jumping off point, then add some nice bends and twists of their own. Lead single “Who Am I?” is the band at their most straightforward, a 21st century update of “Saturday in the Park”-era Chicago with Jackson’s jazzy horn licks and Alfaro’s jaunty piano leading the way. From there it’s one dazzling left turn after another: “Hide” mixes hip-hop grooves with swooning vocals and twinkling, Air-like electronics; “Cheap Thrills” flits effortlessly between sunny piano-pop and leering carnival breakdowns; “Music Box” wanders into dub territory with queasily panning trumpet solos and subterranean basslines. They even throw in a harpsichord for the very XTC-ish album closer, “Birds and the Bees.”
Made for: Elephant 6 Collective acolytes and Wayne Coyne worshippers. Anyone who owns a copy of Supertramp’s “Crime of the Century,” a lava lamp, or a few Pink Floyd T-shirts—or, preferably, all of the above. Major American auto manufacturers (see below).
X-Factor: The band’s label, Shout It Out Loud Music, specializes in commercial licensing, which is already paying off: two Spain Colored Orange tracks will reportedly be featured in the campaign for the 2010 Ford Mustang, launching later this year. – AH
Men, "Men" (self-released and currently only available at shows)
Hyped on: Ohh! Crapp; Sheena Beaston; Welikeit.indie
MySpace
Who: Started by two-thirds of Le Tigre (JD Samson and Johanna Fateman) as a DJ/production team, Men then added Michael O'Neill (Princess, Ladybug Transistor) and Ginger Brooks Takahashi (LTTR, the Ballet) to the talented lineup. Fateman eventually dropped out of active duty, but the core trio soldiers on, representing a slice of hipster Brooklyn more concerned with politics and art than ironic T-shirts and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
What: Men’s music is solidly dance-based, and could work into most cool DJ sets, but it’s more than just beats, bass and vocals. The sound bridges from modern lo-fi to the let’s-just-bop-around vibe of underground ‘80s/‘90s art-punk-dance. Le Tigre connections are apparent, as are sonic touchstones such as CSS, !!!, Talking Heads, ESG and the Raincoats. But Men really stand apart from the field with their energetic live shows and challenging lyrics, both of which, they say, “speak to issues such as wartime economies, sexual compromise and demanding liberties.”
Made for: Dancers who like to think. Thinkers who like to dance. Indie craft fair after-parties. Drunken kitchen dance-a-thons in progressive college towns.
X-Factor: Though no longer a central member of the group, Fateman, along with artist Emily Roysdon, still contributes to Men via writing, consulting and production. – KND
Dananananaykroyd, "Hey Everyone" (Best Before)
Hyped on: Artrocker; Chickens Don't Clap; Underwurld Music
MySpace
Who: A six-piece from Glasgow, featuring two vocalists, two drummers and the world’s hardest band name to spell-check. Given that line-up, it’s no surprise that “Hey Everyone” is a whole mess o’ sound, which the group has rightly dubbed “fight pop.” Hopefully, their increased presence in the U.K. will help get the guys back on these shores; DA’s lone 2009 U.S. dates came at South by Southwest.
What: What could have been a gimmick, given the name and band’s odd structure, turns out to be a revelation. The band’s self-described “fight pop” is apparently code for frantic post-punk jams full of hand-claps, shouted/chanted choruses and (no surprise) percussive fury. It’s a mess, but it’s a fun mess: “Black Wax” is essentially a Black Kids track with a Polyphonic Spree finish, and “Watch This!” adds a pop element to a spastic Blood Brothers-style noise-fest. Plus, if the band’s show at SXSW was any indication, the group likes to give out audience hugs throughout their sets.
Made for: Punk kids looking to dance (sans keyboards). Music fans who wish “fun” was a mandatory part of a band’s oeuvre. Ghostbusters! (‘Cause of their name…get it? Never mind…)
X-Factor: Possibly more fun than the band’s music? The group’s very active blog and Twitter feed, where the band posts their World of Warcraft updates, gay soccer referee videos and horrid jokes (“Why did the chicken go to the Doors concert? To get to the other side”). – KM
