The Mayor's Favorite Twelve-Letter Compound Expletive.
Wednesday, 23. April 2008, 13:32:07
Detroit is a city very close to my heart and has some of the best fucking music to come out of a city since, er, Manchester in the 1980s. Yeah, I am going to admit that I am severely biased when it comes to this, but hell, surely a blog is the ideal platform to spout off about anything you feel like. It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to.
You could literally name a million and one amazing bands that have emerged from the rubble of the once mighty motor-city, but I'm gonna focus on my personal faves.
If you like your rock dirty and your guitars wound up to 11, then The Paybacks should be your cup of tea. Having seen these guys live it has to be said it was one of the best live experiences I've ever encountered. I'll even admit that I'd happily turn gay for lead singer Wendy Case. Fucking amazing. An essential purchase would be Knock Loud from 2002 but they honestly haven't released a dud album as far as I can tell. Check out Just You Wait to get a taster.
The Dirtbombs are the band that turned me on to Michigan's rock city. These were one of the first Detroit bands I ever got into (during the 2002 D-town explosion) and they've been going for years (1996 if their discography is to be believed). The thing that initially drew me to them was 1. Underdog is a fabulous song. 2. They had two drummers like Adam Ant. Any non-mentalist similarities to Adam Ant can only be good as far as I'm concerned and these guys don't disappoint live. They have a distinct garage rock vibe, but on latest album "We Have You Surrounded" they've experimented with different sounds and it works well. Listen to Wreck My Flow and then buy We Have You Surrounded. Because you need it.
The Witches are the brainchild of musical genius and Dirtbombs bassist Troy Gregory and if the world was a just place, Mr. Gregory would be staring down from a million teeny rock hoodies and be a household name, but this isn't the case. Yet. The Witches have been making sweet surreal rock'n'roll for around for the last 10 years. A good starting point would be 2002's On Parade (Amazon US) and mp3 Haunted Side Of The House.
Capitol Cities are sadly an example of the old "star that shines brightest burns quickest" bollocks are are sadly no-more. Thankfully, like a generous elderly aunt they left behind a hefty legacy for the masses to enjoy. Long-player "All Thrills" is pure garage rock mayhem and really worth getting. Highlights from these sons of Detroit are Ginger, Touch Everything and TRex cover Twentieth Century Boy (which is available as a free download on lastfm). These boys have been the highlight of more than one Michigan holiday and this limey definitely misses them.
From the ashes of Capitol Cities arose Darling Imperial. They are quite a new band and have a strong emphasis on the delicate yet powerful vocals of singer Sarah Sadovsky. Their sound is reminiscent of Feist, Frida Hyvonen or Stereolab but with a slight twist. You can get free downloads from their last.fm page.
One of my absolute faves is a certain EsQuire. He is fun, foxy and a little bit naughty. And the boy invented rap. He really is the bees knees and if I had the money I would fly him over and make him and his go-go girls play for me in my living room. Love, love, love this man. You should check out the vid to Brandy and Xanex.
Here's some other ace bands from the D worth checking out: The Go, Fifth Period Fever, Johnny Headband ,The Bomb Pops (who are the makers of wicked punk rock, check them out) The Muggs etc, etc. That should keep y'all busy for a bit. Oh and the pics - Paybacks is from billions.com and The Witches pic is taken from their myspace page.
You could literally name a million and one amazing bands that have emerged from the rubble of the once mighty motor-city, but I'm gonna focus on my personal faves.
If you like your rock dirty and your guitars wound up to 11, then The Paybacks should be your cup of tea. Having seen these guys live it has to be said it was one of the best live experiences I've ever encountered. I'll even admit that I'd happily turn gay for lead singer Wendy Case. Fucking amazing. An essential purchase would be Knock Loud from 2002 but they honestly haven't released a dud album as far as I can tell. Check out Just You Wait to get a taster.The Dirtbombs are the band that turned me on to Michigan's rock city. These were one of the first Detroit bands I ever got into (during the 2002 D-town explosion) and they've been going for years (1996 if their discography is to be believed). The thing that initially drew me to them was 1. Underdog is a fabulous song. 2. They had two drummers like Adam Ant. Any non-mentalist similarities to Adam Ant can only be good as far as I'm concerned and these guys don't disappoint live. They have a distinct garage rock vibe, but on latest album "We Have You Surrounded" they've experimented with different sounds and it works well. Listen to Wreck My Flow and then buy We Have You Surrounded. Because you need it.
The Witches are the brainchild of musical genius and Dirtbombs bassist Troy Gregory and if the world was a just place, Mr. Gregory would be staring down from a million teeny rock hoodies and be a household name, but this isn't the case. Yet. The Witches have been making sweet surreal rock'n'roll for around for the last 10 years. A good starting point would be 2002's On Parade (Amazon US) and mp3 Haunted Side Of The House.Capitol Cities are sadly an example of the old "star that shines brightest burns quickest" bollocks are are sadly no-more. Thankfully, like a generous elderly aunt they left behind a hefty legacy for the masses to enjoy. Long-player "All Thrills" is pure garage rock mayhem and really worth getting. Highlights from these sons of Detroit are Ginger, Touch Everything and TRex cover Twentieth Century Boy (which is available as a free download on lastfm). These boys have been the highlight of more than one Michigan holiday and this limey definitely misses them.
From the ashes of Capitol Cities arose Darling Imperial. They are quite a new band and have a strong emphasis on the delicate yet powerful vocals of singer Sarah Sadovsky. Their sound is reminiscent of Feist, Frida Hyvonen or Stereolab but with a slight twist. You can get free downloads from their last.fm page.
One of my absolute faves is a certain EsQuire. He is fun, foxy and a little bit naughty. And the boy invented rap. He really is the bees knees and if I had the money I would fly him over and make him and his go-go girls play for me in my living room. Love, love, love this man. You should check out the vid to Brandy and Xanex.
Here's some other ace bands from the D worth checking out: The Go, Fifth Period Fever, Johnny Headband ,The Bomb Pops (who are the makers of wicked punk rock, check them out) The Muggs etc, etc. That should keep y'all busy for a bit. Oh and the pics - Paybacks is from billions.com and The Witches pic is taken from their myspace page.
WIDGETIZE