Morningwood
Posted by Rob Ortenzi on 29-Mar-06 @ 04:04 PM
HQ: New York, NY
NOW PLAYING: Morningwood (CAPITOL) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: If there were a Suicide Girls strip club, where tattooed vixens shook their stuff for extra cash-perhaps to afford the latest Blood Brothers 7-inch or a vintage Pretenders tee-Morningwood would be blasting in the champagne room. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: Louis XIV, Elastica, Head Automatica Go ahead. Say it out loud if you have to. We get it. It's funny. Laugh it up. You done yet? No? Well, get it out of your system: "Morningwood. Morningwood. Morningwood." We know what it means, and if you paid attention during health class, you should, too. However, we should warn you that this particular strain of 'wood is moving out from between the sheets and into your stereo, as the NYC quartet of the same name have finally released their much-delayed, more-anticipated eponymous debut album. "Nobody knows who we are, and I don't expect them to," singer Chantal Claret says flatly; but don't expect Morningwood's anonymity to last long. The band formed in 2001 when Claret met bassist Pedro Yanowitz at a party for mutual friend Sean Lennon. In an impromptu round of "Happy Birthday" karaoke, Claret busted out an a cappella rendition of a song she wrote when she was 16. Mouths dropped; folks applauded; and Yanowitz found himself smitten with the brassy microphone temptress. "I work really hard for my lucky breaks," insists Claret. "I often find myself in the right place at the right time, and it's a question of persevering with your personality. I just never knew I had the talent to back it up!" Claret's talent, along with that of her bandmates-Yanowitz, guitarist Richard Steel and drummer John Paul Keenon O.-was enough to catch the ear of a certain Kurt Cobain widow, who wanted the then-unsigned band to open during her upcoming tour. Unfortunately, the criminal-justice system put the kibosh on that ("I can't tell you how many times I've had to cancel tours because of court dates," jokes Claret), but Claret & Co. went on to spark the interest of a major and head into the studio in late 2004 to record their debut with Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters). The result is an endorphin-infused dance party with explosions of punk rock, new wave and glam. From the poppy, pixilated energy of "Nth Degree" to the garage-rock swagger of "Jetsetter," it seems there's no style of music Morningwood can't penetrate. Perhaps the most stimulating track is the sultry, suggestive "Take Off Your Clothes," a staple during the band's live set. Oh, and we should warn you: If you're going to stand up front at a Morningwood show, don't leave the house wearing any ol' pair of undies-you never know who's gonna see 'em. "You can definitely expect nudity," warns Claret, who never sheds her own threads during a gig (sorry, dudes). "It depends on the state, too. Some are harsher than others. If I'm in the Bible Belt, I try and take it easy. I've also taken to ID-ing people that get onstage, because, honestly, I'm not willing to go to [prison] for a 15-year-old boy or girl. I love my job, but I'm too pretty for jail." -Leslie Simon UNDER THE INFLUENCE What Album's Had The Greatest Influence On You? "[It's a tie between] NINA SIMONE'S Wild Is The Wind and High Priestess Of Soul," says singer Chantal Claret. "[Simone] can sound like a man or a woman; she surpasses gender and is only emotion. Her voice can do amazing things, and we share the same birthday." ALT |
