The Tepper brothers are the driving force behind The Natural History. With their comrades, they push out a pop-rock (or should that be rock-pop?) that entices and enthralls, like so many things from Brooklyn. The second album is still in process; these tracks from their debut should help shorten the wait.
Aqueduct
Best start off your introduction to Aqueduct with the thrift store gangsta stance of “Hardcore Days, Softcore Nights,” just so you know not to mess with frontman Dave Terry. Sure, it’s wry bedroom pop on the surface, but I think he’s only half-joking about “pulling heat” if you ask him where he’s from (Tulsa, by the way, which might explain the defensiveness). But the fun only begins there… Song to song, Terry recalls any of the nerd-music-for-the-masses elite — from Ben Folds (without the Elton John fixation) to Ben Gibbard (after a few sleepless nights) — though he’s well on his way to earning his own seat at the table. At least that’s what I’d say to his face, lest I get on his bad side.
Cinerama
John Peel died of a heart attack Monday at age 65. As Simon put it, it’s like a library burning. In memory, I’m posting a Peel Session track performed by one of Mr. Peel’s favorite songwriters, David Gedge, formerly of The Wedding Present and currently Cinerama. I don’t know how many incredible artists I discovered by way of the legendary Peel Sessions, but Gedge is definitely one of them. Man, there’s gonna be some good radio in heaven…
The Marlboro Chorus
Imagine Ween and Pavement each running for president. But, unlike next week’s real choices, you actually liked both candidates. Who would you vote for? Undecided? Enter a third party: The Marlboro Chorus.
Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura, like most good Scottish bands and football (a.k.a. soccer) clubs, hail from Glasgow. This seven-piece outfit makes classic pop. Sure, comparisons to Belle & Sebastian and even Nick Drake may abound, but Camera Obscura add a soul to their pop that makes them unique. Merge Records has been releasing their original Elefant Records releases in the U.S..
Dealership
I found these guys through their video. A friend of mine directed it. Clever and catchy, reminiscent of The Rentals, Dealership have a hopeful, Friday night action vibe working for them. A poppy and wonderful antidote to the approaching winter.
Emperor X
Sure, we all had Casio keyboards as teens in the ’80s. The only groove I could ever manage came from holding down the “fill” button on the disco beat. But the 7″ EP by Sea Saw that I bought in 1995 showed me what a Casio keyboard can do in the hands of a genius. I expanded my love of Casio keyboards to include its cousins, the Farfisa, the Rhodes, etc, and I ran the gamut from hollAnd (the re-named Sea Saw) to the Rentals to Quintron. With hollAnd going spacey, I now have Emperor X to provide me with my fix.
Oxford Collapse
Time warp! These Oxford Collapse songs borrow heavily from some key songs from my youth. It’s uncanny I tell you… Respectively: Adam and the Ants’ “Beat My Guest”, Altered Images’ “Real Toys” (man, did I have a crush on Claire Grogan; I must have watched Gregory’s Girl fifty times), and, finally, a more recent favorite, Butterfly Train’s “What’s Falling About”. Sure the tempos are off a bit, but it’s the mood. It’s the rush of traveling backwards in time…
Fog
I’ve just about reached presidential campaign 2004 overload. Everyone’s got their two cents and now, more than ever, they’re eager to spout ’em off. I can’t listen to, or read, any contemporary works without having the subtext lunge at me. Regardless of the message lurking below the surface, this taste of Fog’s forthcoming album flip-flops with clicks and clacks while the beat is firm in its resolve.
20 Minute Loop
Each 20 Minute Loop song bears its own unique persona, personality, and sound — making comparisons to everyone from X to XTC seem rather fleeting. So, if you want backstory, hit Epitonic’s vault of 20ML downloads. I’ll simply leave you with a track from the yet-to-be-released Yawn + House = Explosion, which does represent one common thread in their work: immediate, narrative lyrics that suck you into a whirlwind of mesmerizing boy/girl harmonies.