The Hippodrome

Forget “indie”, bands that aren’t signed are the way to go! These are really painful.

Imagine yourself in an Animal Collective cover band. Most people look down on cover bands but it’d still be bad ass ’cause it’s an Animal Collective cover band, right? Right. The Netherfriends are kind of like that except they aren’t a cover band or identical to Animal Collective. The first time you hear the Netherfriends you’ll make the Animal Collective comparison but eventually realize that this trio is awesome in their own right. Did I mention they attend three different colleges in Chicago? Yep it’s true!

Silly facts aside, one of my favorite things about The Netherfriends is their emphasis on vocals. The group really knows how to sing and uses this to add to the music rather than detract from it. Often their sound is psychedelic tribal magic, but they occasionally slip into other genres which is never a bad thing since they do it well. Their chanting, “yeah yeahs”, and “ahhhhhs” are very welcome on top or beneath their instrumentals.

The band is so very young too; they just started last August! Their age doesn’t show through a bit thanks to the seasoned sound that takes careful stock of the current scene. If they’re able to achieve this kind of polished sound in less than a year, what magic will they brew given more time?

Audio: TAC TAC
Audio: Stop Smoking A$$hole, Cigarettes

I know for a fact that Barack Obama has much better taste than the Black Eyed Peas and company (his Facebook profile lists Stevie Wonder and John Coltrane), but I couldn’t pass up this use of painfully politically correct editing to help bolster The Hippodrome’s official candidate today, on Super Tuesday. So although you, impeccable music connoisseur, probably won’t enjoy the aesthetic of this video, pass it along without condescension to your relatives who are a little more “mmhmm” inclined. And don’t forget to vote!

The Seed and The Sprawl surprisingly don’t look too cold in this video. Even the snow doesn’t stop them from playing a lovely acoustic ditty that reminds me of Nick Drake sitting in Regent’s Park, trying to figure out the track listing to Pink Moon. Unsere Kunst is a collection of videos featuring little known artists in New York, Chicago, and Berlin. More available here!

Although I am technically in this band, I couldn’t let this video go unseen to the masses. Plus I had nothing to do with this particular song/video. Make sure to check out the work of my two beat-making contemporaries, B-step and Jamrod.