No one in Walter Meego is named Walter. Ironically, the 3hive reader who tipped us off to Walter Meego is named Walter. But, lest you think he’s just one of these vain guys who’ll go see any band named after him, he actually went to see Caribou — who was known as Manitoba up until about a year ago — and Walter Meego was the opening act. Confused? Good. Now you’re ready for Walter Meego (the band, remember, not the reader) and their wry, funky, glitchy brand of “mutant dance” music.
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More Clem Snide and Broken Spindles MP3s
Ian Love
Ex-Rival Schools guitarist Ian Love sheds his post-hardcore skin and in favor of a gentle, earnest folk skin, in part to celebrate his new life as sober husband and father. Maybe I’m a sappy sucker for sober husbands and fathers, but I think “The Only Night” is a beautiful love song (get it? love song?). Simple plucked chords lap up against unassuming vocals, capturing that sense that the world has retreated for a moment so two people can be alone:
“And I stay quiet
And we’re so patient
As the stars jump side to side
And this feels like the only night”.
Faux Pas
A week ago I posted Gotye. If I hadn’t been in such a serious carb coma on the heels of Thanksgiving I probably would have posted an Australian two-fer including Gotye’s friend and countryman, Faux Pas (aka Tim Shiel). These two take great care to make their quirky, sampleriffic musical explorations feel warm, organic, and spontaneous. Faux Pas even goes as far as to eliminate vocal samples lest we get lured into the obsessive spotting exercise that Gotye’s tracks inspired. The frenzied big beat sound of “Cup of Wonder” provides instant gratification but “White Light” definitely steals the show. I am now convinced that spacey theramin, Asian dulcimer, and R&B horn riffs were always meant for each other; all they needed was a tumbling drumbeat to rally around… As a bonus, it turns out Tim’s also a bit of an MP3 blogger himself. Check out the Blog section of his site to get a good sense of his musical reference points.
The Go! Team
The Go! Team cook up an infectious blend of double-dutch hip hop, horns-a-blazing cop show themes, and raw garage pop. But you probably already knew that. These MP3s are from their 2003 Junior Kickstart EP, which had yet to incorporate the pep squad vocals. But you probably already know that, too. However, unless you’re responsible for one of the 548 plays tallied on MySpace as I write this, you probably haven’t yet heard The Go! Team vs. Kevin Shields, which takes the yummy bits of “Ladyflash” and “Huddle Formation” and puts the proverbial cherry on top. Say G-O…T-E-A-M!
Gotye
Gotye is Aussie one-man band Wally De Backer who, like his fellow countrymen The Avalanches, humanizes bedroom beats, quirky samples, and the odd live instrument and weaves them into epic pop structures. I guess it’s summer down under, which would explain the decidedly upbeat tone of these preview tracks from his forthcoming LP.
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Lagwagon
I should feel old, like the subject of Lagwagon’s “Falling Apart.” The whole flashback sequence that led to this post was triggered by my pal/former housemate Brent announcing he has a second child on the way — and Brent has always been one of my YOUNGER friends. Yeah, I should feel old. Lagwagon probably should, too, considering the flashback took me to a photo shoot for grid some 10 years ago where Jon dropped them and other bands from the Warped Tour inside a dollhouse using Photoshop magic. (I wish I could find the shot of Angelo Moore dressed up as a maid…Jon?) But Lagwagon’s still making music and I’m still writing about it. So, pass the multi-vitamins and fire up the heating pad…here’s to another 10 years of punk rock and baby makin’!
Castanets
While he may share the same record label as pop revivalist Sufjan Stevens, Castanets’ mainman Raymond Raposa creates a space of his own with what his bio calls “mutant country” — somber tales of heartbreak spread over wonderfully sparse, ecclectic instrumentation. Let those slow embers burn and keep your days warm and hopeful (those who have already started to see snowflakes swirl in the air know what I’m talking about).