Everybody loves a good GIF and these five frontmen provide them in abundance. These guys possessed more than just musical ability, they also look great moving around in a small box.
Jim Morrison – The Doors
Jim Morrison was an expressive frontman and often expressed the music he was playing through his unusual body movements, clearly no narcotics were involved 😉
Ian Curtis – Joy Division
One of the greatest, and most influential frontmen of all time, also a great mover if these GIF’s are anything to go by.
David Bowie
A cultural icon, musician and actor, Bowie is truly one of the greatest rock stars to ever exist, appearances in Labyrinth and Zoolander have only made him more GIF friendly
Thom Yorke – Radiohead
The gift that keeps on giving , apart from being one of the most influential and creative musicians around, Thom Yorke is pure GIF gold , with dance moves like this it’s no surprise that the ‘Lotus Flower’ video went viral
Sam T. Herring – Future Islands
The ultimate, undisputed GIF king, has to be Sam Herring. After showcasing his unreal moves on the David Letterman show, Sam was plastered all over the Internet. He claims that he’s injured himself on stage multiple times and with moves like these it’s easy to see why
Radiohead are a band known for making ground breaking, game changing albums, feautring songs which many bands would happily sell their gran for, however, as a result of the bands torturous quality control process, many a hidden gem falls by the wayside. As self-confessed perfectionists, this is usually because of not being able to fit a track in rather than due to the quality of the song, (other bands would still consider trading in cherished loved ones to own them). So if you feel all In Rainbowsed out or Ok Computerd , here we provided an alternative album made up of their best B-Sides, as the wait for the ever elusive , as yet untitled, ‘LP 9’ continues.
Palo Alto
An Ok Computer B-Side which works brilliantly as an album opener , Radiohead turn the guitars up to 11 and snarl at the informality of modern living , perhaps could have replaced ‘Electionering’ on the record itself ?
Check out Thom Yorke trying to recorded it in the documentary ‘Meeting People Is Easy’:
Maquiladora
An early snapshot of the bands fabled three guitar attack, with its pixies influence clear , this track was unlucky not to make the final cut onto ‘The Bends’.
Polyethylene
Certainly a lost classic, in Polyethylene’s two parts we witness the very best of 90’s era Radiohead. Recorded during the making of ‘Ok Computer’, the track could have made an already perfect album even better !
Pearly
With its eastern guitar influences and subtle nods to globalisation, Pearly is a very interesting addition to the band’s back catalogue. Its highlight is its awesome climax which shows Radiohead, the guitar band, at the peak of their powers.
Cuttooth
Recorded during the Kid A/ Amnesiac sessions, Cuttoth is a progressive monster which manages to link the best of 90’s Radiohead with their new innovative sound.
Permanent Daylight
A Song which definitely should have found its way onto the album , made during ‘The Bends’ era , the track gives an early indication to the more experimental sound the group would latter develop.
Talk Show Host
Perhaps the bands most famous B-side , and a track which is amongst the best they have ever recorded, the song featured prominently on the 1996 Romeo and Juliet film soundtrack , as a moody Leonardo Dicaprio is shown contemplating life on a beach , deep 😉
Watch it featured in romeo and Juliet here :
Gagging Order
A great acoustic chill out song perfect for a Sunday afternoon, an example of Yorke keeping it simple but highly effective.
Worrywort
Arguably Radiohead’s happiest song , Worrywart deserves a mention as it is unlike any other track the band have produced but equally intriguing.
Fog
A travistey it was never included on an album, Fog is a brilliant track worthy of any bands back catalogue and would not have been out of place on any of Radiohead’s classics.
11. 4 Minute Warning
Featured on the bonus disc which accompanied the release on In Rainbows, 4 Minute Warning tries to encapsulate the calm before the storm as it references the London bombing raids of World War Two. An essential track.
How I Made My Millions
Recorded live from Thom Yorke’s own kitchen , you can even hear his then girlfriend unpacking the shopping. This track is one of the most intimate in the bands back catalogue and sees Yorke at his most vulnerable. A perfect album closer.
Bonus Track
True Love Waits
Technically not a B-side, True Love Waits deserves inclusion purely due to the cult status it holds in Radiohead’s fan base. Never released, and only ever performed live, the song is remarkably straight forward for a Radiohead track and features some of Thom Yorkes simplest, but most moving lyrics. Here’s hoping for LP 9 😉
Watch Here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww2vsfdEUr0
The Pixies have become one of the most important bands ever, not just because of the quality of their output, but also due to their influence on others. As Kurt Cobain stated, Nirvana were often, “basically trying to rip off the Pixies”, while Thom Yorke of Radiohead, stated before their headline appearance at Coachella 2004, “No! That’s just not right! The Pixies opening for us is like the Beatles opening for us. I won’t allow it. There’s no way we can follow the Pixies!”
The Pixies pioneered and perfected the quiet loud dynamic which has since manifested itself into many other bands output. David Bowie praised their ability to, “Erupt into a blaze of noise “, and the unique energy their music conjures has encapsulated fans the world over.
Here we give a run down of their 10 most essential tracks.
10.Alec Eiffel
With its scattergun lyrics, and its infectious punk riff, Alec Eiffel is an important part of the Pixies cannon. From their fourth album , Trompe Le Monde , Alec Eiffel embodies the bands ability to seamlessly mix soaring guitars , distortion , and Frank Black’s manic ramblings , to create a sound not only unique but one which will make you move as well.
9.Caribou
Fittingly the first song off their debut LP, Come on Pilgrim, Caribou would be one of the first exponents of the quiet loud dynamic the band would come to perfect. Described by Black as an abstract song drawing on elements of reincarnation, Caribou is one of the first examples of Black’s lyrical ability to create a resonance with the listener from seemingly fragmented, unstructured, components.
8.La La Love You
La La Love you is lyrically one of the most direct Pixies songs, embodying much of what makes a typical love song. Although still penned by Black, the song is in complete contrast, to much of the band’s usual abstract musings, and as such provides an almost unique sound among the group’s back catalogue. The Track is in fact performed by drummer David Lovering, and this is perhaps symbolic of this shift in dynamics. Instead of Black’s hard and fast vocals we are presented with a much softer alternative. Despite its lyrical simplicity, the track still showcases the band’s immense talent as the group’s trademark guitar swirls carry the song forward.
7.Bone Machine
One of their harder songs, Bone Machine leads with much purpose, enveloping the listener in a death roll type hold refusing to relinquish control. The song is as angry as it is raw, its incessant guitar licks demand your attention, and its dynamic chorus will no doubt have you screaming along. Bone Machine displays the band’s ability to convey any emotion and drag the listener along with it. Black’s screams truly leave you powerless.
6.Wave of Mutilation
Wave of mutilation, also the name of the band’s greatest hits album, see the group tap into the ‘surfer rock’ sound which would influence many an act to come. Like Bone Machine the song is relentless, the group’s violent imagery is ever present however the focus is not of aggression, but that of empowerment. Black’s lyrics invoke a sense of escapism rather than anger, and with it comes a blueprint that many a band has tried to incorporate into their own sound, just never quite as well.
5. Where Is My Mind
The song which allows the group access to the fringes of the mainstream and the soundtrack to the phenomenal ending of Fight Club, Where Is My Mind has left a lasting legacy upon the musical and cultural landscape. Covered by bands from Placebo and Arcade Fire, to artists such as M.I.A and even James Blunt, the song is living proof of the influence the Pixies have exerted upon their peers. Black states that the song is inspired by his own experience of scuba diving in the Caribbean, and through his lyrics he is truly able to immerse the listener into this visceral state, as the song truly allows for you to lose yourself.
4.Gigantic
Kim Deal, the other truly brilliant creative force in the group, truly shines on this track. Co-written by Deal, the main inspiration for the song was apparently the 1986 film, Crimes of the Heart, where a white, southern, married woman, falls in love with a young black male. This is reflected in the lyrics as a women’s obsession with making love to a black man is documented, lending the song a uniquely voyeuristic quality. This element is further explored with the song’s sexual chorus, “gigantic, gigantic, gigantic, a big, big love”. This is typical of Deal, it is uncompromising and raw in nature, but at the same time playful and evocative. Her bass line is simple but effective, and her vocals manage to portray vulnerability as well as empowerment. Deal’s extraordinary talent bleeds out all over the track, and makes it a key cornerstone in the bands back catalogue.
3.Monkey Gone To Heaven
Perhaps the best example of Black’s quality’s as a lyricist, Monkey Gone to Heaven is full of the religious and mystical imagery synonyms with much of the band’s work. However, it deals highly in realism, as man’s toxic relationship with the environment is explored. Black talks of this dynamic, describing the ocean as a place where, “Things get flushed and reunified or decomposed and its this big, dark, mysterious place”, “It’s also a very mythological place where there are Octopus’s Gardens, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and Mermaids.” Through his lyrics Black is able to explore this relationship, as he commands that the listener, think “of man’s place in the universe”. It is an example of the band’s ability to portray the imaginary, while simultaneously challenging the ills of society, and that makes it one of the bands most important tracks.
2.Gouge Away
For many Gouge Away is the culmination of everything the band set out to achieve, even drummer David Lovering stated, “It’s the perfect example of a true Pixies song. It’s got the quiet verse and then it goes all-out for the chorus. The way it’s structured, its two opposing layers. I remember when we recorded it, I thought it was the most compelling thing we ever did.”
Francis Black again draws on violent, biblical imagery. The song itself is a reference to the story of Samson, who was brutaly tortured by his enemies, but eventually pulls down the pillars he is chained to, killing them and himself in the process.
The symbolism is ever present and is again representative of the band’s ability to fuse not only anger, but empowerment into their songs.
Guitarist, Joey Santiago, is so synonyms with the band’s unique sound, and in Gouge Away it is never clearer. As David Bowie states, he is capable of providing, “extraordinary texture” , and Jonny Greenwood, (of Radiohead), touches on this, explaining the unique way in which he “attacks the guitar”, helps provide the track with its brooding qualities. The combination of the lyrics and textures of the sound, truly make it a Pixies classic.
Hey
‘Hey’, is the quintessential Pixies song. It draws on all the elements which have made the band such an imposing force on the music scene. Santiago’s textures blend seamlessly with Black’s inspired lyrics, while Kim Deal’s vocals dovetail perfectly with Black’s, as they plead with the listener and state how they have become “chained”. The violent religious imagery still remains. Black sings of “whores”, “devils”, and “broken babies”, as he conveys a hopeless image of romantic entrapment. No other band has been able to incorporate such themes into their music as well as the Pixies, and that is why their legacy and their impact on other musicians, as well as the cultural landscape, has remained so great.
Every major band needs their own breakout song , a moment which means they can escape the indie wilderness and be propelled into mainstream consciousness , where a spoon fed audience can finally begin to digest their talent and their years of playing tiny , poorly lit venues, finally pay dividends. For Future Islands, Letterman was this moment, and Seasons would be the song that finally enabled the band to reject tags of alternative music’s ‘journeymen’, and instead be finally accepted as one of the most exciting bands around. For a band labelled as the “hardest working In America “it really could not be more deserved. However, there is a danger that this new found success will lead to new forms of pigeonholing, as the mainstream fail to embrace a spectacular back catalogue, and instead confine Sam T Herring to nothing more than a showman who ‘did that one catchy song’.
This of course is their loss. Sam T Herring’s stage presence is undeniably breath-taking , his outpouring of emotion and theatrics, provide a level of connectivity almost unrivalled by any other current frontman. As he states, “it’s about dripping with sweat, it’s all about working hard for people, making people feel something”. To label this as a gimmick, nothing more than “dad dancing”, is not only simply untrue, but it completely misses the point. Every great frontman possess the ability to connect with his audience on a deep level which transcends just music. Whether it be Ian Curtis, Morrissey or Thom Yorke, all great performers are able to invoke this connectivity and passion, through their persona. The ‘dad dancing’, and ‘growling’, are merely Herring’s way of establishing this connection.
The viral nature of the Letterman performances has of course brought the band much new attention , Bono described ‘Seasons’ as “a little miracle “, and oddly even footballer Joey Barton counts himself as a fan , but it is important not to let Seasons overshadow a back catalogue which contains many a gem.
The album Singles is truly a classic, every song seamlessly blends into each other and represents a band that has found the perfect balance between Herring’s growl and dreamy synth pop. Albums such as ‘In the Evening Air’, and ‘On the Water’, also have their standout moments, but Singles is by far there most consistent effort yet, and is representative of a band that has truly honed its sound during a 1000 plus gigs. Their 4 album career has provided a continuously momentous sound and the band can certainly boast more than just Seasons. A back catalogue that includes songs such as; Vireo’s Eyes , Balance, Little Dreamer, Long Flight, Before the Bridge, Doves, Lighthouse, Swept Inside, Beach Foam, Tin Man , Walking Through that Door, Inch of Dust, means that the band has much more than just Herrings charisma to fall back on.
Future Islands have become to represent something that is becoming increasingly rare in an industry where most albums are packaged as merely a product. They are a band that actually means something. While on the surface most songs seem simple catchy pop tunes, there is much hidden depth, and a relatability which all great bands possess. There is no elitism, and no one is excluded by their sound, but at the same time no artistic concessions are made, nothing is watered down.
Letterman has propelled the band into new territory, however, they are far from an overnight success. It is the product of thousands of hours hard work, gigging all across the states and much of Europe too, which has seen them reach this point. Anyone who witnessed their set at Glastonbury this year will have seen the culmination of this effort. In a performance that encapsulated their meteoric rise, they captivated the whole audience and won fans purely on talent rather than ‘dad dancing’. That day Future Islands seemed to have already outgrown the ‘afternoon slot’ on the ‘Other Stage’, and certainly appear destined for grander heights. Letterman may have helped them reach this point, but a band with that much talent , and a frontman as passionate, original, and charismatic as Herring, was always going to make it, they “just needed a hand”.
musictoday5 