- 24
- Sep
Shocking Pinks - I Want U Back
Prinzhorn Dance School - Realer, Pretender
As you know, we've always striven to keep things interesting over here at MFR and to keep you gentle readers fully informed when it comes to the bands we think you should know and love. Well, it should come as no surprise that we're big fans of DFA Records. LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, The Juan Maclean: the three bands that started out on DFA twelve-inches and have gone way big since. Fact, DFA = success story. Duh. Well, two of the recent DFA signings, the UK's Prinzhorn Dance School and New Zealand's Shocking Pinks, have full-length albums that you need to hear.
Shocking Pinks is the production name of Nick Harte's one-man-band. The self-titled album, out this week, is actually a collection of his recent recorded output that was first released on the NZ-based Flying Nun records. The sound is a kind of pure indie rock that draws elements from MBV and Sonic Youth (fuzz and noise and experimentation), and old (synth-heavy) New Order. There is something else in there that I find totally entrancing - signing an indie rock band is unusual for DFA, but they clearly heard that potential in him.
Prinzhorn Dance School is a two-member band, Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn. According to their website, they "like things simple" - this is apparent when you see their site, and apparent when you hear their songs. Their music is the embodiment of "minimal" - not in the German techno sense, just ultra stripped down - guitar, drums, vocals. That is it. I first heard them on the Optimo 'Essential Mix', with the track "You Are The Space Invader", and like so many people I know, I was hooked from that first listen. Prinzhorn is also a band that I think will be pretty polarizing: you'll probably either love it or hate it. Their self-titled album is out now.
There's a full-album player for Shocking Pinks here, and a player for Prinzhorn over here. Check them out, then grab them from your favorite indie-retailer or from iTunes (Prinzhorn here and
Shocking Pinks here).
Highly recommended.