The Besnard Lakes: they also put on a killer shadow puppet show
(Credit: Wendy Wong/Jagjaguwar)
Hyped on: Tiny Mix Tapes; Drowned in Sound; My Old Kentucky Blog
Official site
MySpace
Who: This Montreal band (one of the few not affiliated with Arts & Crafts) has carved out a sound that recalls Brian Wilson hopped-up on a really powerful sedative—the songs are washy, moody and full of wooden instruments, oblique wildlife ambiance and harmonies for days.
What: The album’s coolest cut, “And You Lied to Me,” is over seven minutes long, starts really slow and is peppered with these odd screeches that sounds like mating Canadian geese. But the track is a snapshot of Besnard Lakes’ brilliance—just when things seem to be winding down halfway through, percussion picks up and then dominos into layers of shreds. The following song, “Devastation,” takes a simple five note bass loop and builds it into drumming…devastation. “On Bedford and Grand” is probably about Brooklyn in some way, and poppy with walls of pianos and distorted vocals leading the extended chorus.
Made for: Fans of modern psychedelic-rock bands like the Dandy Warhols and Spiritualized; Quaaludes.
X-Factor: The band is nominated for a Polaris Music Prize, which we never heard of but is apparently a big deal in Canada. Arcade Fire, Feist and Junior Boys are also nominated. We have heard of them. – MR
Mac Lethal, "11:11" (Rhymesayers)
Hyped on: [redthreat]; Know Good Music; There Stands the Glass
Official site
MySpace
Who: Part of Rhymesayers’ growing stable of Midwestern hip-hop talents (along with Atmosphere, Brother Ali and Musab), David Sheldon is a bald, unassuming-looking white guy from Kansas City who calls himself Mac Lethal and can absolutely kill it on the mic. He first made a name for himself by winning the Scribble Jam emcee battle in 2002, an honor he shares with Sage Francis and Rhymefest. His Rhymesayers debut, “11:11,” came out in October.
What: Lethal’s rapid-fire flow and gift for one-liners that are equal parts stupid and brilliant (“I got a gun named Corey Feldman and a gun named Corey Haim”) is probably most reminiscent of Ludacris, but his persona is so unapologetically whitebread, he makes Sage Francis sound like Ja Rule. “Clown on my accent all you want,” he declares on “Calm Down Baby” in his flat Midwestern whine. “I’ll whup your grandmother’s ass!” The dorky posturing would just be a gimmick if Lethal couldn’t back it up, but he slings more memorable verses per song than 90 percent of the rappers on today’s hip-hop charts.
Made for: “I’m a rapper and I don’t really like rap,” Mac Lethal sneers on “Die Slow,” and that’s about the best way to sum up “11:11”—it’s a hip-hop album for people who don’t really like hip-hop. Lethal name-checks Bill Hicks and George Carlin on “Jihad!” and that’s really where his roots lie, even though he does rap instead of stand-up.
X-Factor: With its sing-song chorus and drum-corps beat, “Pound That Beer” is every bit the frat-rap anthem you expect it to be—catchy enough to become a surprise hit, annoying enough to potentially make Lethal the most reviled figure in hip-hop since…well, maybe not Vanilla Ice. Kevin Federline? – AH
Foxy Shazam, "Introducing" (New Weathermen/Ferret)
Hyped on: we wore masks; A Shiny New Machine
MySpace
Who: A party-punk quintet from Cincinnati that has (somewhat) inexplicably garnered a following on the hardcore scene.
What: Although the blog world has aligned Foxy with the spazz-core of the Blood Brothers (R.I.P.), these guys are far too upbeat for the noise scene. Credit the combo of full-time pianist Sky White and the theatrical and (dare we say it?) Meat Loaf–like range of vocalist Eric Nally for giving this punk assault a glammy, peppy kick.
Made for: Non-angry punks who still, nonetheless, hate emo. ‘70s rock fanatics (Elton, Meat Loaf, Bowie) who think a whole lotta amphetamines would’ve really helped the scene. Those of us who miss Andrew W.K.
X-Factor: Pianist White enjoys both jumping on and doing push-ups on his piano, and once reportedly played his keyboards on stage with a severed deer hoof (not to be confused with the college rockers Deerhoof). – KM
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