(Credit: Paul Heartfield/Thrill Jockey)
Hyped on: My Old Kentucky Blog; The New(ish) Journalism
Official site
MySpace
Who: A British six-piece anchored by producer Mike Lindsay and reclusive songwriter Sam Genders (he records with the band but doesn’t tour), Tunng have released three albums that have seen their self-described “folktronica” evolve from insular bedroom ditties into full-blown, postmodern chamber pop.
What: Tunng’s music sounds like it was made in the back room of a dusty thrift store. There’s a delightfully cozy sense of clutter in their songs, in which everything from click of a camera shutter to the slurping of a cup of tea becomes percussion and instruments range from analog synths to antique music boxes. There are surprises galore, too, as when “Soup” erupts into a blast of Aphex Twin-like glitchcore or a sinuous beat transforms album closer “Cans” from a simple acoustic ballad into something like Boards of Canada remixing Nick Drake.
Made for: Playing loud on high-end headphones to hear every last ambient noise. Fans of Psapp and Devendra Banhart. People who aren’t scared off by the term “folktronica.”
X-Factor: The video for the album’s first single, “Bullets,” has been getting tons of blogger buzz. Think Michel Gondry meets Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince”: embedded in a ball of tennis racquets, rubber duckies, bicycle tires and other bric-a-brac, the members of Tunng hurtle through space on a collision course with the sun. It’s the perfect visual representation of the group’s junkshop aesthetic. - AH
Spank Rock and Benny Blanco, Bangers & Cash (Downtown Records)
Hyped on: Stereogum; Distortion Disco
MySpace
Who: Dapper rapper Naeem Juwan is best known as the microphone manipulator from Baltimore nasty boys Spank Rock, who lit up 2006 with their debut album “YoYoYoYoYo.” That disc won Spank many high-profile fans, including Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Together with NYC producer Benny Blanco, Juwan conceived this XXX-rated tribute to Miami booty-bass/porn-hop pioneers 2 Live Crew.
What: While Spank Rock tracks are known for explicit lyrics, they can’t hold a candle to the unrepentantly pornographic couplets that litter this inflammatory release. Laced with rumbling Miami bass lines and party-starting samples, these new sonic nephews do Uncle Luke proud, celebrating his historic 1992 court appeal that overturned an earlier ruling deeming “Nasty As They Wanna Be” obscene and illegal to sell.
Made for: Porn stars, strippers and the people that love them. Old-school fans of Luther Campbell and 2 Live Crew in search of something new that’s raunchy as “Nasty As They Wanna Be.” Ironic indie hipsters. Thom Yorke.
X-Factor: “Loose” features a customarily killer verse from badass Philly rapstress/fashion queen Amanda Blank, a genuine star who’s more than ready to blow up in a very big way. - SS
Get Him Eat Him, "Arms Down" (Absolutely Kosher)
Hyped on: Oh My Rockness; Stereogum; indieground
Official site
MySpace
Who: Get Him Eat Him frontman Matt LeMay writes for Pitchfork—he’s one of the hipster music site’s more succinct and fairly analytical scribes and clearly gives a damn about the oft-torturous trail artists take to put out a record. But appreciation for the craft doesn’t mean he’s against taking a dump on his peers. He once compared Lavender Diamond frontwoman Becky Start to Princess Toadstool…zing!
What: Calling this Rhode Island band “indie pop” sells them short, though album opener “2 x 2” features the horns and jangle of a classic Beulah cut. Throughout the album, LeMay flaunts his adoration for Pitchfork heroes of yesterday and today. “Leaders in Doubt” highlights LeMay’s turn-of-phrase chops (tip of the cap to Guided by Voices), while “Push & Pull” features the mathy undertones and effected vocals of early Dismemberment Plan—not surprising, given that longtime Plan guitarist Jason Cadell produced the album.
Made for: Music fans sick of their favorite bands being shot down by Pitchfork. Listen to “Arms Down,” and if you aren’t feeling it…start a blog and stick it to the man. Diehard Liz Phair fans take note: LeMay gave her ’03 self-titled album a 0.0. Zing!
X-Factor: Beirut's Zach Condon, the Wrens' Charles Bissell and Broken Social Scene's Chris Brown all guest on the album. That’s like an average 8.3 on the PF scale. – MR
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