Bands I love that you've never heard of.

[El Calico Loco]

The thread title is not entirely true; I'm sure some of you have heard of some of these, especially the one that has rocketed in popularity since I first saw them in concert. Anyway, I thought I'd share.

TV on the Radio: this is the one that has hit it big. I first learned about them years ago from another band that played with them at a small venue in Atlanta. It took me a while to get around to buying their albums, but I'm so glad I did.

Wolf Like Me
Staring at the Sun
Dreams

Celebration: I saw this band in concert before I'd ever heard of them. They were touring with TV on the Radio. They quickly became one of my favorite new bands. Katrina Ford, the lead singer, sings on like half of TV on the Radio's songs. She appears singing atop a building at the end of the Wolf Like Me video linked to above.

War
New Skin

Sadly, I can find no video for my favorite song, Holiday. Here is a snippet of the lyrics:


These days are dark
I lack the spark
to shine
to find my mind baby
i'm too sharp
to play the part
for you
for you

Where do all my rubies shine?
I paid the Devil to lose my mind
these days, these days these days are black as coal
I imagine my lost soul
away on some paid Holiday
it's okay if it's not far away

Babe, what happens to us now?
I've lost...I've lost the will to shout
to dig my body out
for this loss, I know I've paid the cost
for this pain, my gentle soul remains
away on some paid holiday
it's okay if it's not far away


That song has been so meaningful for me this past year. Swim often paid the Devil to lose his mind for a little while, he paid the cost, and his gentle soul remains.

Iris: This synthpop duo hail from Austin (originally - they live in different places today). I have the good fortune to know them personally. They are huge in some parts of Europe and Russia; they fill giant warehouses with fans. When they come to Austin, they play the same small venue they always have and most of the audience is personal friends of theirs - which still makes for a good-sized show, because they're awesome guys and have lots of friends as a result.

I can't find any videos of them, but there are audio samples on their website and on their MySpace music page. I believe their biggest hit to date was Annie, would I lie to you? It got a whole lot of play at goth clubs across America.

The Prids: A group of vegan post-punk goth rockers from Portland, Oregon. They're not too famous yet, but they gain new fans every time they play. There sound is like a mix of Joy Division, New Order, Sonic Youth, and Babes in Toyland. It's wholly original.

I'm fortune to know this band personally as well. They are all very nice people. They usually crash at our place when they tour through Austin (they even did our dishes to show their appreciation). They're the ones who introduced me to TV on the Radio after playing a show with them at a club in Atlanta. Their live show rocks - they really give it their all, even if there's only five people in the club. They rock.

Contact
Let it Go (a song about dissociation!)
Love Zero

CTRL: Austin's best industrial band. Also friends of mine. If you're into industrial music, they've got a great sound - more old school (Front 242, Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy, etc) than the painful noise and static that most "industrial" is composed of, these days.

We Hope

You can hear more of their stuff on their MySpace page.

Flametrick Subs: More of Austin's local heroes, and one of the best psychobilly acts around. They played the same club every Saturday night for years, and packed the house each time until the place burned down. Now their homeless wanderers, but one can usually find them playing somewhere in Austin on any given Saturday, when they're not out on tour.

Buzz Bomb Baby


Voltaire: I can't decide whether he's a musician with a sense of humor or a comedian with a guitar, but he rules. There's really no way to describe him accurately...gothic folk zolo, perhaps. His tunes range from the morbid to the hilarious to the sentimental.

When You're Evil
Vampire Club (hilarious send-up of goth)
Goodnight, Demonslayer (This song wasn't written for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but as a lullaby for the artist's son. But the video is too well done to pass up.)
Brains Brains

He also gave one of the most brilliant defenses of gothic subculture in the post-Columbine era, and on Fox News no less.

Hope some of you enjoy them as much as I do.


ECL