Would That Be Nice?

Luckily for us, Divine Fits are not a super group. Meaning, they’re committed to this game. It’s not even a temporary project; this quartet knows they have something and want to pursue it beyond their debut LP. The amalgamation of Spoon, Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs, and the New Bomb Turks is everything it should be: consistent and near impossible to ignore

As a committed Spoon fan, a neon synth enthusiast, and one who adores a driving guitar with throaty vocals, this record was inevitably going to be taken in. A lot. If my Last FM is an indication, it’s transcended any original expectations. Locked for a best of 2012.

A Thing Called Divine Fits

An 8-bit pulsating sound drawing Daniel’s distinct vocals front and center courtesy of RJD2:

Divine Fits :: Would That Not Be Nice (RJD2 Remix)

Across 110th Street…

A time existed where an established artist, one I might totally fall for, who I wasn’t acquainted with, would remain that way: still foreign to me. What if I dug that artist, the act with numerous records? A potentially costly endeavor to dive into that new artist and backtrack through their discography. Fast forward to now where taking in those older records is a few clicks away. Today I embrace taking in an artist I’ve always heard about but never bothered to spin.

Bobby Womack would be a fine example. Since my new found soul journey, a lot of the same names routinely spring up — maybe I need to venture to new resources to truly crate dig; perhaps, these names are consistent for a reason. Fire up what you might have been missing….

Bobby Womack :: I Can Understand It

They Saved Reagan’s Brain…

Aging rock stars inevitably have aging fans, too. With age, might come family. With family, might come future rock stars in the making. Maybe. It’s for this reason, amongst countless others, that shows like Yo Gabba Gabba! and Chicago’s Chic-A-Go-Go exist.

My favorite duo, Local H, has been in the game far more than most. A quick mental poll puts them as the longest running act I still listen to and care about — a significant statistic. One half of H, Scott Lucas, the easily excitable one, brought his kid friendly demeanor to Chic-A-Go-Go. Not only can you witness the most randomly assembled Grind dancers ever bounce around to H’s “Bound For the Floor”, you can also take in Lucas rocking around to “They Saved Reagan’s Brain”.

When Nick Met Daryl…

Anything Nick Waterhouse is doing right now, I’m  a sucker for. The dapper, mid-20s Californinian is reinvigorating the original rock n roll sound with his willingness to invoke trouble into music. His uncanny ability to jump start a party in full force isn’t hurting him either.

If I were a former pop star with my boy Oates, did a successful run as a solo artist, and was looking for a new way to invent myself, I’d build a house in upstate New York. To further differentiate myself, a professional band would hang there often, and I’d invite well respected artists to roll by. This is what Daryl Hall continues to do — MiS was hitting repeat some years back on this project — via his web and now TV show Live From Daryl’s House. 

Mr. Hall asked Nick Waterhouse to the compound to bring that sound of Nick’s further to the masses. What was concocted and ripped through, further proves Nick Waterhouse holds the potential to be as timeless as his sound.

• Say I Wanna Know
• If You Want Trouble
• Some Place
• Problem With You (Originally written/performed by Daryl Hall)
• Time’s All Gone
• Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles cover)

Check the brilliant, original collaboration here.