Why not?
Once in a while I surprise myself by what I like. Granted, I have pretty eclectic tastes and am willing to listen to anything once, but certain genres have just never interested me as a whole. Pop country is one of them: I once liked Achy Breaky Heart but I was 14 at the time. I’m also not really getting a lot of the rock music on Muchmusic anymore, which makes me feel old but still thankful I’m not a teenager.
Why? (MySpace) at first made me think of all the new rock bands the kids are listening to, and I was going to dismiss them when I heard the chorus from “The Hollows”, their first single off Alopecia: “This goes out to all my underdone and undertongued, monk-lunged frontmen”. Hip hop artists are always singing or rapping “this goes out to so-and-so” and it took me a minute to realize that this version was satirical.
I’d describe them as a mix of hip hop, new wave and indie rock. The lyrics, though sung, at times remind me of what I like best about rap: descriptive metaphor, telling a story, and using the voice as a percussive instrument. They don’t sound like something I’d listen to, but I can’t seem to help myself.
Prodigal son
Benoît Pioulard (MySpace) is singer/songwriter/etc. Thomas Meluch. I first heard him in 2006 with his Précis album, but this year brought Temper. He writes and records his albums at home, performing all the parts himself: obviously he has problems with delegation.
He’s sort of a electronic/folk/experimental sort of artist. In other words, I’m not really sure how to describe him. His vocals are very subdued and overdubbed and are often on top of ambient musical layers. I find him relaxing to listen to, yet still interesting. Electronic music often bores me, but this guy doesn’t.
Canadian Content, kthxbye
The Coast (MySpace): A great Toronto band I think I first heard on CBC Radio 3, but unfortunately have some trouble googling (for obvious reasons). Youtube was pretty impossible, too: kept getting videos of ships.
I think of them as a sort of anthemic rock. Electric guitars heavy on the reverb hit me in the nostalgic centre of the brain, what can I say? Sometimes they remind me of Matthew Good, especially on the song “No Secret Why” off their full-length Expatriate. They’ve opened for Tokyo Police Club, another Canadian band I’d recommend.
Check out their MySpace page, because this video does not do justice to their studio recordings, but I couldn’t find anything else.
Yo mama so fat
Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom) (MySpace) put out an album this year that I liked so much I overplayed it until I couldn’t stand it anymore, which is impressive given how much music I have.
I’d call then nerd pop, because you can’t have song titles like these and not be one:
- Your Brains vs. My Tractorbeam
- But She Beat My High Score
- Yes, I’m in Love With an Android
There are more, but I don’t want to scare you off, because it’s not all that they’re about. Their sound is electro-pop, but still sounds minimalist and very catchy, and the singer’s voice has a fragile quality and seems to emote better for it. This year’s full length The Wishes and the Glitch is full of great songs, this being the first:
(By the way, if you want hardcore nerd rock you should check out Sprites (MySpace), who have songs about sysops and overclocking and pac man.)
