Warpaint

Yeah, back recently I managed to get the Deluxe (as opposed to the Collectors) 2CD+DVD of the Stone Roses' debut for a fiver in HMV, and tbh i'm tl;dl/meh about the DVD, played the 'interesting demos' once, and the main album I sort of didn't need to.

Still, it's now taken the place of the previous format on the shelf.

What about those "sacriligeuos" remix 12" versions of Waterfall and Res?

Or is the wrong thread?

So, erm, Warpaint, eh?

Dunno, will have to check them out.

Question is, actually, did you hear that "dance" influence before or after you read that Andrew Weatherall produced a couple of the tracks? ;-)

The vocal harmonies and stylings actually quite remind me of early Throwing Muses more than anything else, could that be what you're hearing in that "early 90s alt-rock" thing, Matt?

Maybe, although I haven't actually heard much Throwing Muses.

I don't have the new record, but the vocals on the earlier ep reminded me at times of PJ Harvey, Bjork, Damo Suzuki, the Bangles.

I think mostly it's Baby that has that whole spooky haunted house quality of the first Kristin Hersch album, for mé.

If we're talking 90s indie, I was kind of reminded in places of the Cat Power of 'Cross Bones Style' or 'Nude As The News'. But yeah, Telepathe and Throwing Muses are good reference points too imo.

Glad to see Sick Mouthy bring up the Electrelane influence! I was thinking that myself just the other day and I actually almost posted about them very nearly working to fill the Electrelane hole in my life.

I was kind of reticent to bring Electrelane up because I didn't want to just go "oh, 4 girls with guitars, Electrelane", and I'm not sure I'd say Warpaint share the same postpunk-ishness that some Electrelane had, but there's a definite groove / Kraut connection, and something occasionally in the ethereality of the vocals (although Electrelane's ethereality came pretty much only with the choirs).

A couple of great live-in-a-studio videos

Finally made the connection that the chorus on "Undertow" reminds me of the "just don't ask me... what it was" bit of the chorus to Suzanne Vega's "Luka."

Another reference that has been popping into my head for the last couple of days in terms of texture is Pinback.

Yeah that Luka connection drove me mad for about 2 weeks.

Yeah, it's funny - the "What's the matter / you hurt yourself" part echoes the "Let me clip / your dirty wings" part of Nirvana's "Polly" exactly in the notes and phrasing, then it goes into the uncanny "Luka" thing. It's like a bunch of old familiar tunes stitched together. I really like it, anyway.

A ton of the rhythm stuff on the album conjures the slower tracks of the last couple of Fugazi albums in a big way - I wouldn't be surprised if the bassist was a big Joe Lally fan (the opening track lifts the bassline from "By You" completely).

ugh I actually bought the NME for the first time in ... years.

I can't actually remember the last time. Oh wait, I can, it was when they published those naked photos of 120 Days.

Was it some kind of fluke that the interview actually, like, printed *quotes* about *music* instead of just talking about a band's clothes and haircuts? Astonishing.

was on-the-fence about downloading this, but the rabid supporters on this thread have convinced me.

warpaint is soon to receive a cool $1.16 in royalties from my emusic purchase.

Yeah, on it's second play already, liking it.

Yeah, it's funny - the "What's the matter / you hurt yourself" part echoes the "Let me clip / your dirty wings" part of Nirvana's "Polly" exactly in the notes and phrasing

Thank you for clearing this up, it had been bugging me for ages. I was almost thinking that with a different arrangement, Undertow could have been a Courtney Love dirge but the real connection was even more obvious.

Also Polly has its own "hurt yourself" bit.

i forgot I started this thread. anyway the album is very good. there are some curious production decisions; it's obviously a protools job, it kind of sounds like not very good mics were used, and compensated for in the mix (baby is the exception which sounds really clear to me), I can't tell if I dislike this or actually like it; I do prefer the sound of the John Frusciante produced EP on the whole, I guess. but the songs themselves are all awesome. I listened to the record maybe 20 times this weekend? I hardly ever listen to any new music now because I don't have the time but I was in the car a lot for two days.

my favorite moment though is the 'long long long' reference in Baby though. that kills.

maybe not enough is said about how innovate the band's songwriting is. there are incredible, unpredictable melodies in this, chord changes....I don't think a single song on this goes in a simple progression, the way i'd write it in my head; it's always, always surprising.

They were speaking on 6music this morning, apparently while riffing on a bassline that would eventually become 'Undertow' one of them started singing 'Polly' over it. Instead of doing a cover they incorporated it.

Listened to this again over the weekend and I think the quality drops a bit when the tempo rises - there are a few too many tracks that feel kind of aimless and waily. That said, the good songs are *really* good.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite albums of the year (too late for any polls except ILX, sadly) - if Elephants and Billie Holiday from the EP were on it too it would be even better.

Billie Holiday is such a jam.

love this record so much. sounds like I need the EPs

Just one EP, right? Exquisite Corpse is the only one I'm aware of. Fantastic stuff though and, yes, the album would be even better with "Billie Holiday" and "Elephants" on it.

i agree its on my top 10

my favorite warpaint song is "cherry pie"

The album proper lacks hooks. As soon as the song's over, you can't remember what it did. Nice atmosphere at times, but the songwriting's shit.

Few easy hooks /= shit songwriting

lack of hooks ⊆ shit songwriting

LA Times writeup today

"Undertow" did not place in this year's trax poll, but there was discussion of it on the thread & so I checked it out: it is fantastic! <3 the bass guitar sound, muted drums & reverb-saturated vox. Do their other songs sound like this? I'll find out soon enough..

This is my favourite new band of last year. Smh at ILX for not placing Undertow. Try the album Pillbox, and also the Exquisite Corpse EP - Elephants is amazing.

Love "Undertow". ppl who post on ilx don't know what they're talking about imo!

"Undertow" wouldve been my #2 song had I voted. I group Warpaint in with stuff like Anika and that new Pocahaunted album, but I think Warpaint is the best out of this kind of stuff...

I'd see them live (bc they r prity) but this has been my "most-wanted-to-like-but-severely-disappointed-by-each-and-every-time" album of 2010. the label mongering of "chillout psychedlic all girl assemble" seems like a way to excuse how absolutely boring they are - oh, but how novel it is that it's an all girl band, and oh, how laid back their sound is. you can still be laid back and possess even just a semblance of identifiable melody - see: boards of canada. i guess you can call that comparison an unfair one but i can really think of no better an example of "boring" done great.

(bc they r prity)

I can't defend them too much, bcz Undertow is the only thing I've heard but being in an all-girl band is not that novel dude

I'm in full realization of that, but all-girl bands tend to attract a little more attention than they deserve. I can't even get this across w/out feeling like full fledged troll bait w/ the sexism card but I see this band nowhere on the radar had every member but the singer been replaced by a tight-jeaned indie dude.

i can't even deal w/ myself after saying that. this is not an argument i enjoy having, or find particularly enlightening. it's dull and overdone and makes everyone in party appear stupider than usual. but it's like a dude being able to name more female tennis players than male. there isn't exactly anything uber-feminine about their song-writing either, aside from obv female vocals;a so i still back my argument that in a gender-less world this still remains a boring band.

I totally disagree, because I heard three songs before I even knew it was an all-girl band. And, I think you are wrong about there not being anything "uber-feminine", because the whole album has this total "don't fuck me over" vibe. I love this album.

Name a male band that sounds remotely like Warpaint, Wilcoboy.

the Yardbirds

as for me I am digging the whole 'Roches for the xx set' vibe personally...

(^of Undertow, that is. Cursory listen of Elephants in the OP indicates the whole album might not be like that...)

actually, this is going to seem WTF to all of you, but Elephants kind of sounds like something off f White Pony almost. It's very alt-rock!

loving this album