Playing Dress Up

Sadly, gone are the days when good bands would dress up to compliment their act. There was Michael Jackson with the red jacket and the one white glove, Sinatra with the tux, or any 80's band that took you at least 5 minutes of looking at them to determine whether or not they were dudes or chicks.Now most "artists" who dress up today do so to help hide the fact that their music is actually terrible. But there are a few bands left that remember what a suit or a can of hairspray can do for your overall effect.

The first band is The Horrors. When I first heard them, it was their debut album Strange House. The album sounds like the soundtrack to an old 1950's Vincent Price horror movie, complete with organs, creepy guitars, and even creepier lyrics. The lyrics to their songs ranged from anywhere between a man committing suicide over how boring his life is to Faris Rotter himself hacking desperately at a sea of appendages. Along with this awesomeness, they would dress the part with goth clothes, make up, and zombie like hairdos. This all adds up to a rare combination that you never see on stage anymore, creepy raw energy .I was blown away when I first heard their song Gloves. Check it out for yourself.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9M-DtH9zHI.

They have now for the most part ditched the hair cuts and make up as they progress their sound. They are more synth goth now and sound more like a dark 80's band. Still really good stuff and refreshing to see that they can reinvent their sound and not lose who they are as a band. When you go to their shows and see goth girls dressed in all black lace with a veil to match, you know they haven't lost their core fans. It took all I had not to propose to these girls on the spot btw. I am giving these guys a rating of really fresh! The only thing keeping them from being tight is that they did away with their fresh names like Joshua Von Grimm and Coffin Joe. I mean we all know Dimebag Darrell was never the same after changing his name from Diamond Darrell. Sorry for the random Pantera reference. Anyway...

Band number two is The Walkmen.I am sure you have heard of them by now because they never stop touring and play every festival known to man. But just in case you haven't, definitely give these guys a listen. My description is going to make them sound like they belong on KLite radio, music for the the contemporary adult; but that's only because I am a horrible writer. In a sense it is grown folks music because their songs are about complicated relationships. Ranging anywhere from the weirdness of the random hookup to the frustrating feelings of a relationship that you just can't let go of to realizing too late that you had the girl of your dreams. These guys are true musicians and can seemingly play any style of music. The drummer alone is worth the price of admission. They feel like a throwback band, very loungy at times. Hamilton channels his inner Sinatra when he sings their great song Louisiana.  But they can also crank it up a notch with songs like The Rat, Lost in Boston, or Angela Surf City. For most of A Hundred Miles Off Hamilton sounds like a drunken Bob Dylan, which well I guess Bob always sounded drunk so it's better to say he sounded like Bob Dylan. But do yourself a favor and start off with their best album Bows and Arrows. If you're not hooked by the time No Christmas While I'm Talking comes on well then just keeping listening because this band definitely gets the rating of really fresh.
http://www.thewalkmen.com/heaven/