[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, French electro remix, old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]
Our picks typically cover a good deal of ground each week, but there’s normally some overlap. But, try as I might, I can’t find any common bond this week. Not that that’s a bad thing. So, enjoy our mixed bag of goodies - we’ve got a remix from SD-favorites The Cool Kids, some indie-sugar from The Republic Tigers, Scottish post-rock from Mogwai and hypnotic bedroom weirdness of Grampall Jukabox.
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Vague Panther: Grampall Jookabox - “We Know We Might Be Fucked”
Anyone’s Guess beat me to the punch a few days ago for this song (seriously I was about to post it too!), but I guess I’ll go ahead and post it anyways. Grampall Jookabox is the nom de plume of Indianapolis native David “Moose” Adamson. In case the name didn’t give it away, he enjoys occupying a space between serious and not-so-serious songwriting. OK, maybe it’s a little more to the not-so-serious side of things – some of his better song titles being “We Know We Might Be Fucked” and “The Girl Ain’t Preggers.”
However, he’s definitely worth noting because of his bedroom production and experimentation. It’s really fun to listen to – some songs are clearly arranged, while others like “We Know We Might Be Fucked” are hypnotic repetitions. The only constant I can pick up on is the use of heavy bass line anchors, most of the time beating out the good ol’ six string as a feature. Fans of Coco Rosie have probably found a new American savior…
In case you need further endorsement, Jello Biafra (of Dead Kennedys fame) had the following quote about GJ which sums them up nicely: “I have no idea what you’re trying to do, and that’s either really good or really bad, I’m not sure.”
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Uncle Corey: Mogwai - “The Sun Smells Too Loud”
Mogwai is a great band that we woefully neglect here. I love instrumental music – and I’m definitely in the minority on this, I know – and Mogwai does it perfectly. “The Sun Smells Too Loud,” off their newest album The Hawk is Howling (which curiously has an eagle on the cover), is actually a departure from Mogwai’s typical dissonant, dark, thick sounds. It’s almost… happy. Not to worry, there’s plenty of songs like “I Love You, I’m Going To Blow Up Your School” on the album to get your grey cloud on with. This song is a cool little slice of melody though.
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Scooter: The Cool Kids - Delivery Man [9th Wonder Remix]
The Cool Kids‘ debut album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, is slated to drop before the end of the year (according to their Myspace page). Here’s a little something to hold you over until then, courtesy of producer, 9th Wonder. (Also, if you’ve had enough of Kanye and his Auto-Tune, check out 9th Wonder’s contributions to the his mixtape, The Graduate.)
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The Stranger: The Republic Tigers - “Buildings & Mountains”
I know this isn’t saying that much, but The Republic Tigers might be the best thing to come out of Missouri since… well, I can’t name anything else. (Surely there must be something I’m forgetting…) On another note, I’m not sure when it happened, but I’ve become totally at peace with pop-rock over the past few years, and this is just great indie-pop in the vein of Death Cab or The Shins. I’m not sure if I’ll be listening to this a year (or even a month) from now, but a little indie-pop seems just right for a Friday afternoon.
