Another Post Bites The Dust

(sung to Queen's Another One Bites the Dust)

Another post bites the dust,
another post bites the dust yeah,
Another post bites the dust
another post bites the dust yeah, hey...

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

A new band today and one I haven't even heard yet, but based on the buzz and what I've read, I'm pretty confident I will dig them: Crystal Stilts' debut album Alight of Night.

On Crystal Stilts' first full-length album, Alight of Night, the bandmembers aren't afraid to rely heavily on their obvious influences. On display for all to hear are the reverbed darkness of the early Jesus and Mary Chain, the twee punk energy of the Shop Assistants, the classic autumnal songcraft of Black Tambourine, and the raw and ragged production values of a hundred bands from the Seeds to Green on Red to Boyracer. Throw in some Velvet Underground (you have to when you have a female drummer who plays standing, right?), some C86, and some Love, and stir vigorously. What you end up with could be tired and derivative-sounding or it could be a thrilling mess of distorted energy. Alight of Night falls squarely in the latter half of that equation, and this is how they pull it off. For starters, there are the vocals of Brad Hargett. He mumbles and croons in a deadpan voice so mopey it feels like his face would crack if he ever fully formed syllables, much less words. Hargett hovers over the songs like a disaffected ghost, never cracking a smile or betraying any hint of lightness. It may take a spin or two to get past the remote iciness of his singing, but once you do it sounds perfectly appropriate in the context of the music, and his broken soul begins to seep into your brain. Next, they never make a false move musically. There are no lame solos, no lapses in taste, no moments they will wish they had back to do over. The band (wire-tough guitars by JB Townsend, powerful and simple drums from Frankie Rose) rocks hard when the song calls for it and provides the energy and drive that Hargett's vocals lack. It's a perfect blend of psychedelic gloom and garage rock punch, of indie pop hooks and girl group drama, of noise and candy. It's obvious from the first few seconds of Alight of Night that Crystal Stilts aren't doing anything new or innovative, and that's all right. They give the old noise pop formula enough of a kick to make this a very worthwhile addition to any noise pop fan's collection. - allmusic

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No embeddable videos available but you can listen to a track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6rKyzjd2LA

The Fashion - The Fashion

2 posts in 2 days, look at me go! Here's another album for your perusal, The Fashion's self titled album from 2007. Some history:

Danceable post-punk band The Fashion made a big splash in their native Denmark with their 2003 debut album, but the core members of the group had been playing together since 1995. All three hail from the town of Svendborg, and their joint musical ventures had ranged from industrial metal group Faceplant to the punky Joyphilter. Despite developing a strong fan base in that latter incarnation, they decided to start again from scratch after the departure of Joyphilter's drummer, drafting in Jakob Ankaer Johansen on drums and Christoffer Griebel on keyboards. A three-song 3" CD on the indie label North Post led to the newly formed group signing with BMG, who released their debut full-length as the Fashion, 2003's Rock Rock Kiss Kiss Combo. The upbeat singles "Let's Go Dancing" and "Roller Disco Inferno" blended the spiky guitar rock of the internationally burgeoning dance-punk trend with a particular sprightly sense of fun comparable to fellow Danes Junior Senior. Despite some success across Europe and attention from MTV and Rolling Stone, they took an extended break from touring and recording, during which members of the group went back to school, started families, and honed their songwriting. Now a four-piece (keyboardist Griebel had departed shortly after the release of their debut), the band returned in 2007 with a slightly harder-edged self-titled sophomore album, including the poppy singles "Like Knives," "Solo Impala," and "Letters from the Ambulance." The Fashion was slated for a 2008 release in many countries, including the U.S., and the group planned an extensive international tour to correspond.

The Fashion have brought their self-titled album all the way from Denmark to re-energize the rock scene. The Fashion is packed with catchy beats, catchy hooks and contagious energy. The vigor of the album can be attributed to the surprisingly fun pop beats that seem to defy a pop sound as The Fashion stay grounded in a blended rock/punk/pop genre. The vivacious vocals from lead singer Jakob Printzlau don’t hurt either.

The first track, ‘Dead Boys’ starts with an electric guitar, which is soon joined by the signature catchy beat of the drum that continues throughout the album to pump up listeners and prove that these boys are anything but dead. ‘Solo Impala (Take the Money and Run)’ contains another infectious beat with an equally infectious chorus that will have listeners singing along.

‘Letters from the Ambulance’ is definitely party-worthy and danceable even, with a pop feel accented by a dark bass. Though Printzlau’s vocals hint at a punk persuasion, his appeal is more universal. ‘Letters,’ as well as other tracks, is similar to something you might hear from Modest Mouse with the vocal and production styles.

‘Like Knives’ features a quick pace and Printzlau suggesting to “cut it like a DJ,” as the percussion and electric guitars continue on the same vigorous runs as other tracks. The consistent high energy is one of the highlights of the album, along with consistently good choruses on each track that are just too catchy not to join in. The Fashion tone it down and let go of the crazy percussion on ‘Apt.,’ but not without a little sadness, as Printzlau sings, “It’s much too quiet in this apartment.”

Though The Fashion hail from Denmark, their album is filled with surprisingly witty lyrical content considering English isn’t the band’s native language. The last track, ‘Vampires with Gold Teeth,’ offers echoing guitars and vocals with almost Beach Boys-esque harmonies that lead into a driving low guitar line and another solid track to end The Fashion in style. Overall, the band makes full use of its percussion with a beat-driven album that is quick paced, catchy and tirelessly energetic. -- realbuzz.com

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Here's a video for Like Knives, one of my favourite songs from the album:

THE FASHION - Like Knives