Local Radar: Vintage Kicks

The term "geek rock", at least to me, always conjured up images of sweater-vest wearing, bespectacled nerds bent over their guitars, offering nasal-y, lovesick anthems (see: Rivers Cuomo). It seems appropriate enough, since all geeks are naturally whine-y, nasal-y weaklings, who might be crushed under the weight of an electric guitar.

Google image result #1 for "Death by Guitar."
(From this site)

And yet -- having exhibited nerd tendencies (I suppose) for most of my life (at least until college, when nerdiness became "hip") -- and having joined a fraternity (if you will) where Nietzsche jokes were tossed around at the foosball table -- I have to say: no geeks these days listen to Weezer. (Weezer is for your friends trapped in high school, and people who watch Glee.) Geeks in Philadelphia just wanna rock.

The Dead Milkmen -- original Philly geek rockers

Enter Vintage Kicks, a hard-hitting, punk-rock 5-some whose debut record King Geek (2011) offers the sort of bitter, volatile ragers that sound best blasted on full-volume, and make me want to smash shit every time i listen. Drawing on post- and garage punk (think: The Pixies, Hot Snakes, Murder City Devils) with a tinge of emo (Piebald, The Promise Ring) and references to "Judas," "Rick Ocasek" and "my senior thesis," Vintage Kicks make music that seems perfectly crafted for New York Times-reading rebels and Spring Fling at Pilam.

V. Kicks

Tunes like "Absolutely Crazy" ricochet with fiery angst, while "Jetty Jump" matches fluid, melodic guitar with hostile vocals and jagged riffs. Vocalist Alex Marlys half sings-half screams while Chris Penny's capricious guitar licks and Mark Walter's aggressive drumming keeps things moving. They've made 2 appearances on my radio show already, with more soon to come -- nothing gets the blood flowing like an adrenaline-fueled punch to the eardrums.

Download their debut record, King Geek, for FREE via their Bandcamp, and get ready to rage.


Previously on Local Radar: The Really Cooks. (See all "Local Radar" posts here.)

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Best New Music: Chairlift

Looking at this photo, you'd never guess these 2 stoned (or at least: stoney-eyed) individuals are capable of producing some of the most gorgeous, crepuscular pop the 21st century has ever seen. And yet ... Something, the sophomore record from Brooklyn's Chairlift -- is a sweeping record of feel-good '80s grooves and spacey melodies SO delectable, it's already in the running for the year's best. Check out my full review at Phrequency.com, and prepare to be swept away.

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XPN2 Playlist, 1/23/12

6:00

The Rosebuds, “Kicks in the Schoolyard”
The Rosebuds Make Out

Vampire Weekend, “Mansard Roof”
Vampire Weekend

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Dinosaur Feathers, “Know Your Own Strength”
Fantasy Memorial

Generationals, “U Say It 2”
Actor-Caster

The Little Ones, “Like a Spoke on a Wheel”
Morning Tide

La Sera, “Please Be My Third Eye”
Sees the Light

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A Place to Bury Strangers, “So Far Away”
Onwards to the Wall

Pavement, “Silence Kit”
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

The Lovely Feathers, “Ooh, You Shocked Me”
Hind Hind Legs

Cloud Nothings, “Wasted Days”
Attack on Memory

Cheap Time, “Too Late”
Cheap Time

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Screaming Females, “Bell”
Power Move

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, “Satan Said Dance”
Some Loud Thunder

David Byrne and Brian Eno, “Strange Overtones”
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

The Clash, “Rudie Can’t Fail”
London Calling

Nada Surf, “Waiting for Something”
The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy



Google image result #4 for "Waiting for Something"


7:00

Lower Dens, “Brains”
Nootropics

The War on Drugs, “Brothers”
Slave Ambient

The Sounds, “Tony the Beat”
Dying to Say This to You

Kennedy feat. Yelle, “John & Yoko”
Life is a Party

Sleigh Bells, “Comeback Kid”
Reign of Terror

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The Ting Tings, “Hang it Up”
Sounds from Nowheresville

Washed Out, “Feel It All Around”
Life of Leisure

Porcelain Raft, “Put Me to Sleep”
Strange Weekend

Dragonette, “Pick Up the Phone”
Fixin to Thrill

Princeton, “Martina and Clive Krantz”
Cocoon of Love

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The Radio Dept., “This Time Around”
Clinging to a Scheme

Little Joy, “Brand New Start”
Little Joy

Cat Stevens, “Here Comes My Baby”
Matthew & Son

Weezer, “Don’t Let Go”
Weezer (Green album)

The Essex Green, “Penny & Jack”
Cannibal Sea

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Darwin Deez, “Radar Detector”
Darwin Deez

Tune in again next week for more musical ear candy.

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Twin Sister Seduce a Willing JB's

Twin Sis at Johnny Brenda's (Click any photo to enlarge)

The scent of seduction hung limp in the air Sunday night at Johnny Brenda's, as a nearly sold-out crowd gathered to catch Brooklyn's Twin Sister -- a band billed on JB's website as "music you could feel comfortable cheating on someone to."

And while we may never know the number of adulteries actually committed that night on the dance floor -- there is no questioning that the crowd stood enchanted, as the five piece sung and slow-grooved its way through an hour plus of sultry, ethereal pop.

Front woman Andrea Estella

Twin Sister's debut full length, In Heaven, is a scintillating blend of spacey dream pop and sly, disco-infused grooves, from the airy, meandering "Kimmi in a Rice Field" to the catchy, funky "Bad Street." Live, these same songs felt denser and teeming with life, as the band pounded out solid bass grooves, then swaddled them in layers of keys and vocals. Especially bewitching was front woman Andrea Estella, whose tiny frame looked smaller swallowed by an oversized blazer, and who pursed her lips and cooed into the mic like a sexy, intoxicated wood nymph.

In 70 minutes, the band played most of the songs off Heaven, plus early hit "All Around and Away We Go," and 2 new ones -- the former (listed on the set list as "Divide Me" [as far as I could tell]) a delicate arrangement of arpeggios and boy/girl harmonies, and the latter ("Tower of Two") a dance-y rager. They closed with an extended version of "The Other Side of Your Face," then broke shortly, returning with an encore performance of "Lady Daydream," the crowd swaying and dancing along. Not bad for a snowy Sunday night!





Brooklyn up-and-comers Ava Luna opened the show with their unique blend of vintage-inspired, doo wop-tinged electro-disco-funk, winning the crowd with front man's Carlos Hernandez's impassioned falsetto, and big, juicy bass licks, especially on tunes like exuberant closer "Past the Barbary." The set was enough to convince me to scoop up their Services EP -- I'm curious to see what's next for these guys!

Ava Luna

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Groove of the Moment: Black Bananas, "Rad Times"

It debuted on my radio show last Monday, and has been swirling in my head ever since. A new one from scene vet Jennifer Herrema + band (formerly of RTX), "Rad Times" features not only the most hipster-y name ever, but also a mean beat and fair amount of "wack attack" (their words.)

The record Rad Times Xpress IV drops January 31 -- but download this lil gem now via (I am not shitting you) Urban Outfitters.

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Best New Music: Cloud Nothings

Seeing as I am not a bro-dude, I don't usually like to describe things as "baller"...but when it comes to Cloud Nothings' third LP, Attack on Memory, "baller" seems the only term appropriate.

polar bear sweatshirts = totes baller.

From grunge-y, tormented post-punk assaults to angst-fueled diatribes about love and happiness -- Attack on Memory rocks out with its metaphorical cock out, yet never feels bombastic or overblown. Check out my full review at Phrequency.com, and learn how you can stream the whole thing for free.

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XPN2 Playlist, 1/16/12

6:00

Stephen Malkmus, “Gardenia”
Real Emotional Trash

Mazes, “Wait Anyway”
A Thousand Heys

Wipers, “Mystery”
Is This Real?

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Jay Reatard, “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”
Watch Me Fall

Cloud Nothings, “No Sentiment”
Attack on Memory

Vintage Kicks, “Jetty Jump”
King Geek

X, “Under the Big Black Sun”
Under the Big Black Sun

Jacuzzi Boys, “Automatic Jail”
Glazin’

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The (International) Noise Conspiracy, “(I’ve Got) Survival Sickness”
Survival Sickness

The Anniversary, “The D in Detroit”
Designing a Nervous Breakdown

Blondie, “One Way or Another”
Platinum

The Boo Radleys, “Lazarus”
Giant Steps

The Blow, “Parentheses”
Paper Television

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The Kooks, “See the Sun”
Konk

Wavves, “Baseball Cards”
King of the Beach

Sonny and the Sunsets, “Pretend You Love Me”
Hit After Hit


Google image result #12 for "Pretend you love me."


7:00

Cults, “Bumper”
Cults

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Of Montreal, “Dour Percentage”
Paralytic Stalks

Beck, “Sissyneck”
Odelay

Black Bananas, “Rad Times”
Rad Times Xpress IV

Cut Copy, “Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution”
Zonoscope

The Big Pink, “Stay Gold”
Future This

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White Rabbits, “Heavy Metal”
Milk Famous

Alex Winston, “Velvet Elvis (RAC Remix)”
Velvet Elvis

The Shins, “Simple Song”
Port of Morrow

The Bright Light Social Hour, “Bare Hands Bare Feet”
The Bright Light Social Hour

The Maccabees, “Pelican”
Given to the Wild

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Cuddle Magic, “Moby Dickless”
Info Nympho

Architecture in Helsinki, “Hold Music”
Places Like This

The Futureheads, “Hounds of Love”
The Futureheads

Free Energy, “Hope Child”
Stuck on Nothing

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The Replacements, “Waitress in the Sky”
Tim

Tune in again next week for more hot jamz!

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Haiku Review: Cults

Sunny harmonies

Belie cold weather; dancing,
making out occur

Photo Kate Bracaglia for A. V. Club Philly


Read the full review (Friday night, Union Transfer) here!

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Music Video Mondays: To Get Lost In

British pop band Fanfarlo have always struck me as a sorta happy, Polyphonic Spree-type act, filled with needless euphoria -- but new video "Shiny Things" displays a much darker side. Exhibit:

Now check out this vid from NYC's Loudest Band, A Place to Bury Strangers, composed entirely of Instagrams. Where the instagrams came from is not clear. Still rad though:

Fanfarlo's new record, Rooms Filled With Light (not gold) is out Feb. 28; APTBS's new record, To the Wall, is out Feb. 7.

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