I first heard MC Chris on last week’s installment of “Synchronicity” on KUCI with the always topical DJ Longbeard. He opened his show with the hilarious “Fette’s Vette” (follow along with the lyrics). Boba Fett is my son’s favorite Star Wars character. However, due to the song’s lyrical content, he won’t be hearing this song (he’s eight) nor will he be seeing the final Star Wars installment. I hear it’s just a tad too dark. Lucas sucks. He lures the kiddies into SW I & II with a character like Jar Jar Binks, making the films nearly impossible to watch, then makes III nearly impossible for the kids to watch. So back to MC Chris — not only is he a prolific rapper (check out all the MP3s on his site), he’s also the voice for MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
The Twin Atlas
The Twin Atlas craft tiny, shimmering jewels of folk pop which are driving me wild of late. Speaking of which, the duo sport the same exact animal masks on their bio page that my two sons are fond of wearing any time of the year BUT Halloween [picture not available] at which point they inevitably want to be dress up as something that requires purchase of an overpriced costume. Way more MP3s on the band’s site, which is also the best place to buy their CDs.
Quiet Life
Back in my day… you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to Bruce Springsteen. But what did I know? We were a bunch of suburban punk rock kids; we were beyond anything that sounded like it was made in Iowa. I’m less closed-minded nowadays, thankfully, but I still haven’t got around to listening to the Boss. Bands like Quiet Life make me think I probably should.
Seedy Gonzales
Never mind the silly name, this is some serious — as in rambling-slice-of-life-Lou-Reed-style-narrative serious — rock ‘n’ roll.
The 101
Lest we forget that the three golden rules of pop are hooks, hooks, and hooks, the 101 are here to remind us, and remind us, and remind us. It’s not just that the guitar-driven power pop melodies are spare and infectious, nor that the emo-laden lyrics are repeated with mantra-like efficiency, it’s that the combination feels like a head-bobbing security blanket that we can wrap ourselves around all summer long.
Mark McKay
I haven’t played as much air guitar as I did while listening to “I Know You Rider” since seeing Joe Satriani at Cobo Hall in Detroit in 1987. His is a different style than Mark McKay’s, mind you, with the latter tapping into the vibe of a ghostly night highway in the middle of nowhere, as opposed to Joe’s blistering fretwork. Really, the two likely have very little in common, and I haven’t listened to a note played by Joe S. since the late 1980s. Anyway, to summarize, if you dig the country rock, choose Mark McKay, not Joe Satriani.
Progenitorivox
Applied Communications
Applied Communications is quite an appropriate moniker for the music of Max Hood. Max takes all types of communications and applies them straight to your ears. A cacophonous symphony of electronic sounds, beats, and tones brace up the delivery of almost stream-of-consciousness thoughts and tirades in the combined traditions and styles of Cex, They Might Be Giants, the Circle Jerks, and Henry Rollins. When Max repeats, “I don’t know how to play any instruments” over and over at the beginning of “Do You Know What I’m Saying?”, you realize, well, that’s not really his point, is it?
Phil Krauth
From the Teen Beat website: “Phil is Teen Beat’s Leonard Cohen.” Lloyd Cole is my Leonard Cohen (he’s my Bob Dylan as well, for that matter). Who’s yours?