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Vivian Girls - "Blind Spot"
Vivian Girls excellent self-titled LP comes out 10/7 on In The Red. If you haven't heard the Henry Darger-referencing trio yet, Cassie, Katy, and Ali nail a C86 sound (see Shop Assistants) with layers of J&MC feedback and three-part harmonies that hit like Spector girl groups as much as early Slumberland noise-poppers (see Black Tambourine). In anticipation of the long player, the Brooklyn noise-pop trio's just released the vinyl-only "I Can't Stay" 7". The record's b-side is the great cover of Daisy Chain's "Blind Spot" that debuts in this week's Drop. We asked the Girls about the track.
How'd you decide to cover "Blind Spot"? Frankie, our old drummer, wanted to cover it. Then we all listened to the song on a mix CD she made and really liked the song. Except the original version had this annoying flute throughout the whole thing. So one of the main reasons we covered it was so there would be a version of the song in existence without the annoying flute.
The song's obviously about a "Blind Spot," but which one? Maybe explain the lyrics/narrative some? The lyrics to this song kinda make my brain hurt. Spot's a dog. Like from Jane, Dick and Spot. And the dog gets lost. But Jane isn't able to free herself in the way Spot is. I think it's about psychedelic drugs? "Where is Spot today? He's at yesterday" and "He is going stray to follow his mind..." are some of the notable lyrics. Fucking weird.
Does it tie in at all to "I Can't Stay," the 7"'s A-side? Not really. We just like the style of having a really poppy A-side and then a weirder B-side. The "Wild Eyes" 7" is like that too.
Premature Evaluation: Beach House - Teen Dream
When we meditated on Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally's gorgeous sophomore album Devotion we had the following to say: [Y]ou can't fall back on Mazzy Star or Galaxie 500 references because they've pushed themselves into their own, unique solar system.... (more)
New Jonathan Boulet Video - "A Community Service Announcement"
This dude's the latest signing to Australia's Modular label, landing with a tidy package of promotional offerings: a catchy, moistly breezy indie-pop debut single that couldn't be better titled for a meet-the-artist track; a subtly arresting/marginally tricked-out video; and a... (more)
New El Guincho - "Antillas (XXXchange Remix)"
When we first heard onetime BTW Pablo Díaz-Reixa, aka El Guincho, we were drawn in by "Antillas," a song we described as "a five-minute bundle of clattering loops and sunny harmonies." It was from the self-released Alegranza!, before he'd signed... (more)
Muse To Headline Coachella 2010?
According to Consequence Of Sound, a previously reliable source pins Muse to the coming year's desert fest headlining slot. Glenn Beck just bought a ticket. The dates are April 16-18. Oh and these Coachella headliner rumors? Needs more Pavement.... (more)
Parents Just Don't Understand Horrorcore
From hardcore to heavy metal to gangsta rap, local TV news teams have long warned parents about the terrifying new sounds rotting teenage brains. This week it's San Fran's KPIX on the horrorcore scene. Not all juggalos are murderers, dad!... (more)
