Tag Archive for 'new wave'

DOING THE WAVE

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Some bad things about the ‘80s: Perms, mullets, permed mullets and the phrase “totally tubular.”

Some great things about the ‘80s: Talking Heads, The Cars and The Cure.

If you disagree with these sentiments, that’s cool (er, tubular). To each his own. But you should probably bypass the music of Action Painters. The Brooklyn quartet was forged in the embers of new wave, and have an unequivocal love for all its glitter and pop.

With songs like “Absolutely Clear” and “Sooner or Later,” Action Painters dare you to dance – rock steady beats, joyful, frenetic melodies and a dollop of retro soul glow make an irresistibly sexy combination. You’ll pick up whiffs of the Violent Femmes snarl, and echoes of shimmering Cure guitars but Action Painters aren’t about being derivative. Call them mod wave, call them jangle synth soul pop, the band combines textures and tones to make something wholly unique and totally rad. Like acid hitting denim.


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THE PRINCES OF PARANOIA

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Quoth the French existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre: “Hell is other people.”

It’s a heck of a philosophy to build a record around, but one that struck a chord with American Princes. Not only does the Little Rock band reference Sartre in the title of their excellent 2008 release, Other People, they also inject their power-pop with a good dose of his social unease. Co-frontmen Collins Kilgore and David Slade take turns intoning jittery refrains such as, “I have never felt so alone,” and “You can’t change yourself / You can’t change the world.” Sounds pretty bleak on paper, yet the power of this group lies in their ability to deliver anxious manifestos as hook-laden rock on par with the Wrens and Hot Hot Heat.

Daedal and fearless, Other People takes listeners on a brilliant joyride through pop, new wave, even a little reggae.  One thing’s for certain, paranoia never felt so good.

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www.ourstage.com

Daily Dose: Thursday, September 18

  • ShoutOut to OurStage Infrastructure Guru Mark, discussing storage, OpenSolaris, ZFS, with SunMicro.
  • Renegades craft a modern take on 80’s new wave/synth pop. Smoke and Mirrors lands them somewhere comfortably between Bloc Party and Depeche Mode.