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Thunderbirds Are Now!
Posted by Tim Karan on 24-Jan-07 @ 12:12 PM|
HQ: Detroit, MI
NOW PLAYING: Make History (FRENCH KISS; frenchkissrecords.com) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Spastic post-punk earned TAN! the respect of their idols, but it's the sound of their personal politics and party-appropriate pop licks that makes their latest offering worth all the exclamation! YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: So Many Dynamos/ the Futureheads / Les Savy Fav Since initially making a name for themselves with the zany art punk of 2005's Justamustache, Thunderbirds Are Now! picked up a new drummer (Matt Rickle, formerly of Detroit's Javelins), saw their frontman, Ryan Allen, evolve into a confident dance drill sergeant, and become, well-gulp!-a pop band. Thunderbirds, defend thyselves! "I feel like there's still that part of us where we should be this crazy band where we do all these crazy things and don't have any pop sheen," explains Allen, "but, at the same time, I don't really listen to music like that, so getting back to the place before MySpace-before music felt co-opted-was always dancing around in my head." And so it was that TAN!-rounded out by mad keyboardist Scott Allen and bassist Howard Chang-began reconciling the undeniable pop sensibilities of their present with the squealing synth lines of their freewheeling past. And though Make History, their third and most complete album, features a wealth of guest appearances-production courtesy of Enon/Brainiac mastermind John Schmersel and a drum cameo by Saturday Night Live player Fred Armisen among them-TAN!'s progression is the result of a band growing comfortable in its own skin, not one trying to grow out of it. "I went from writing songs that I didn't want to have any meaning at all to the point where I'm at now," Allen adds. "You can only do a jagged, delayed guitar part so many times before you start to wonder, 'What am I doing this for?' I guess Stella got her groove back-and so did Thunderbirds Are Now!" --Tristan Staddon |
