Who was the first person wearing skinny jeans last year ? Who recycled the babydoll ? Who invented new rave ? For sure, it wasn't me. On The Scale Of New, Hip And Trendy, I'm probably just above Cosby sweaters and granola bars. So, if you're looking for some upcoming, underground indieband, forget about me.
Last year, I managed to be the first to know a certain band. Scoring indiecredits for sharing the story, I'll tell you about Cold War Kids. I read the musicblog Stereogum. I don't read that much, because I don't know about most of the bands they write about anyway. Or because the bands are pretentious poop. (Latter happens more often.) Mostly I read innocent, timeless posts about the Smiths, which I use for my own pieces. (I'm a fanatic follower of Morrisseyism.)
Once upon a time, for some reason, I was reading the comments to a particular post on Stereogum. Some bloke recommended listening to the band of his mates: Cold War Kids. He linked some songs, I downloaded them. Amongst them Hospital Beds and Saint John.
Then, I went to Antwerp and we wanted to go out. We ended up at Club Petrol, because a spoken word performance by hysterical feminist Lydia Lunch sounded like entertainment. (It was entertaining, but above all hysterical and feminist.) Apparently, the event we were attending that night, was more than just freaky fifty year olds. Two Gallants were touring Europe at that point, and together with their support act Cold War Kids they were playing Club Petrol that night. I was positively surprised. Especially hearing Saint John live was great.
Cold War Kids are fun to watch in real life. When Josh Homme is not touring the globe with Queens of the Stone Age, he goes undercover and pretends to be Nathan Willet, singer of Cold War Kids. (Yeah right, can't fool me Dennis. Josh. Nathan. Whatever.) Bass player Matt Maust is absent minded and looks like he's on drugs, which makes me wonder which drugs he's on and where I can obtain some of those. He also has a terrible taste in head gear. Last time I saw them -opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- he wore a kind of hat belonging in a Breugel painting, depicting a rural wedding. Nathan Willet's voice is rare: high and nasal. Jonnie Russell, the guitarist, happens to have a rare voice too, prefectly complementing Willet with his backing vocals. And drummer Matt Aveiro is beautiful.
November last year in Antwerp, I accidentily saw them play. They had just released their first cd Robbers and Cowards, the world was open for them to conquer, and for me to write about. Harrr.
Take Home Message for you kids at home:
Play their video for Hang Me Up To Dry.
Go see them play at Rock Werchter.
Buy their album.
Cold War Kids are fab.
(Oh and for those who were still wondering: this is a Cosby Sweater.)
1 comment:
It looks like they wrung it out too, too, too many times.
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