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Grooms - "Wicked Game"
Brooklyn noise-pop trio Grooms releases Rejoicer via Death By Audio in October. We thought energetic lead track "Dreamsucker" evoked Sonic Youth. This previously unreleased cover of "Wicked Game" offers a nod to a less likely artist. We asked guitarist/vocalist Travis Johnson about playing Chris Isaak.
Why'd you cover "Wicked Game"? We covered it because I just started playing these chords that sounded close enough to it in practice and [drummer] Jim [Sykes] said "we could maybe cover that" so we just started jamming on it. I've always thought it was one of the most magical chord progressions ever.
How'd you arrive at the arrangement? The arrangement is fairly similar to the original in terms of structure but it has those bookends of guitar fuzz which was just kinda this sound we all liked and thought it would be a cool mask, so that when it went into the song proper it would be like "oh yeah! 'Wicked Game.'" Emily [Ambruso] plays the slide guitar line on bass because there are only three of us, and that's such an integral part of the song, that slinky melody.
Did you ever watch The Chris Isaak Show? Never saw The Chris Isaak Show, but ridiculously I've seen him on Friends.
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)
