Those music know-it-alls over at The L Magazine have declared the Top 8 NYC Bands to watch for this year. Who's in the class of '07? Here's our Top 4 of their Top 8 (we sort of wish they'd put a rock show on with all of them):
• White Rabbits
This band played our Movable Hype show in February (video) and nearly rocked the house down, and speaking of houses - all six of these guys apparently live and practice in one Bushwick loft! The L says:
"Their music is driven by a wild, boundless energy and a seemingly encyclopedic list of musical reference points, spanning many decades and genres as varied as ska, Afro-beat, post-punk, calypso and classic American indie-rock."
MySpace: www.myspace.com/whiterabbits
• Vampire Weekend
Columbia students with "endearingly wordy" songs, The L says:
"Listening to Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut, the Ivy League thing is impossible to avoid, and seeing them in person, it’s even harder; it’s as if they’re four missing members of Salinger’s Glass family."
MySpace: www.myspace.com/vampireweekend
• Frances
Another Columbia student, working towards his doctorate in music. The L says:
"Think about the Brian Wilsons of the world, the Neutral Milk Hotels, the Captain Beefhearts — they’re all known for one piece of career-defining work that almost put them over the edge. It would be presumptuous to make such a bold statement about Paul Hogan, who’s the mastermind behind Frances, but it doesn’t seem too far off, either."
MySpace: www.myspace.com/francestheband
• Jealous Girlfriends
Drawing inspiration from Sonic Youth, Billie Holiday, Blur and Edith Piaf to create their own brand of hooky atmosphere-pop. The L says:
"Holly Miranda, the band’s diminutive singer and guitarist stood cramped next to Alex Lipsin at the keyboard and proceeded to belt out this slow, kind of sultry song that made me think a) 'Holy shit, this isn’t what I thought they sounded like, and I hope I don’t ever describe this in print as ‘sultry’, and b) 'This is one of the strongest voices I’ve ever heard live in my entire life, and I don’t want it to stop.'”
MySpace: www.myspace.com/thejealousgirlfriends
Read about the rest of the Top 8 (The Muggabears, She Keeps Bees, Bear Hands, My Teenage Stride) right here. And check out White Rabbits and Jealous Girlfriends on May 2nd @ Mercury Lounge!
Photo via the L Magazine, taken at the Bushwick Country Club.
