BAND WE LIKE: GREG MENDEZ ((DIY songslinger))
((Black Kids)) Band Profile and Upcoming Chicago Concerts - Oh My Rockness
Black Kids
Black Kids are the most recent edition to the Columbia Records roster, after a massive bidding war to sign these guys. It seems that everyone wanted a piece of this Jacksonville, Florida band that takes familiar 80's synth retro rock and flips it on its ear. Black Kids rock delightfully catchy songs that sound like the birth of MTV (think Simple Minds) meets lo-fi garage (The Ponys) meets dance-pop (Abba?) meets twee (The Go! Team) meets a high school sock-hop (which is what The Ramones were always about anyway). Weird, right?
The three guys and two girls in Black Kids combine to write giddy melodies and harmonies (often sung into what sounds like a tin can) with swirling synth hooks. This is definitely optimistic music (the stuff that "twees" are made of), but it's never nauseating. There's a nice bit of Richard Hell's swagger throughout Black Kid's repertoire, giving these toe-tapping tunes a swift punk-rock kick in the ass. By the way, their debut EP has one of the most perfect album titles ever (The Wizard of Ahhhs.)
The three guys and two girls in Black Kids combine to write giddy melodies and harmonies (often sung into what sounds like a tin can) with swirling synth hooks. This is definitely optimistic music (the stuff that "twees" are made of), but it's never nauseating. There's a nice bit of Richard Hell's swagger throughout Black Kid's repertoire, giving these toe-tapping tunes a swift punk-rock kick in the ass. By the way, their debut EP has one of the most perfect album titles ever (The Wizard of Ahhhs.)
Published July 10, 2008
