Twee Punk Saved My Life

[ahk1979]

I'm more into the pop then the punk... Comet Gain are about as punk as I get. Although the first Legends album has some punk elements to it and its probably my favourite album for the last 5 years.

The Aislers did not break up, its just a different lineup.

The Happy Couple just put out an album, it's a collection of their eps and singles. You can get it at poppolar.

Oh, If you like pop/punkish girl bands (well the have one guy in the band) you might like the Besties. They have a great album called Songs on Skipping Stone Records.

[Icarus]

Huh, I was under the impression that they didn't exist anymore. This is good news! Free Loan Investments are a splendid band.

[ahk1979]

Free Loan Investments are a splendid band.

now they broke up forsure!

[Icarus]

Those sentences went together awkwardly. The first expresses my relief about the Aisler Set not disbanding, the second exclaims how wholeheartedly I enjoy FLI.

[ahk1979]

yeah, i knew what you were trying to say. i just wanted to point out that FLI are no longer a band.

do you like cause comotion?

[ahk1979]

or should i say cauSE co-MOTION!

[Icarus]

Sloppy, vintage vocals, trebly guitar, not too bad! I tend to like tighter bands, but these guys have that Ariel Pink murky haunted basement feel. This thread is already expanding my listening, awesome!

[Loop]

sucky bands like the pastels.

I can't decide if that's a brilliant pun, a Freudian slip or just a happy accident.

That's pretty fair. Most of the style is built on thrifting, vintage, and DIY, of course. It wouldn't be uncommon to see a pair of vintage Burberry pants, for example. That there automatically stops a degree of the designer label hate. The thing is, a lot of deisgner stuff, besides some of the stealthy designer pieces like my cardigans, sweaters, dress shirts, are less obviously designer than something like Dior Homme (which doesn't work for the style because it's not beat enough, there's a sort of a preponderance towards the worn- in look which has to do with the thrift/DIY aspect). If it isn't outwardly high fashion I wouldn't say it's a big deal. This is coming from my position in my little geographic scene. It could be different in, say, Chicago. I do fine with wearing worn jeans with old dress shirts, old ties, beat chucks, and a new Cardigan.

For the fey indie boy look I see tons of sweaters, it's all about the sweater, collared shirt and dark tie, some kids wear slacks, some jeans. I'd bill it as a slightly more dressed-up style that leans more towards slim silhouettes with a few well-loved or DIY acessories thrown in.

It's definitely derivative of Casual (not normal casual, but the original English Football Casual), and mod. That's the fey look I identify with and see on a lot of indie-pop and twee kids.

how would most of you non-superfuture twee/indie brethren feel about higher priced designer labels? i'm sure that it is a legitimate claim that twee and indie are post derivatives of basic punk/diy ideologies.

this may sound pretty naive, but i really can't formulate any real image-descrepancies between early 90's emo fashions vs. the pics you linked us to.

There's not a whole lot of difference, I'd agree. You take the look Rites was always photographed in, it's about the same. We're talking general indie culture here, that DIY background you were talking about, as well as a tie-in with 90s alternative, brit pop, and shoe gaze. Twee isn't so drastically different, identifiers come with the little things (I'll limit my subject to boys): patches, hand crafted things, pins, awesome glasses, a notebook, that sort of accessorizing.

What must also be taken into account is the simple fact that these rules aren't static. There're plenty of people in the scene who don't dress up, who just are really into the music (local indie-pop seems to be the most inclusive, best family). Gap jeans, Flaming Lips T-shirt, New Balance trainers, that sort of thing. But if you're going to pick out the "fey indie boys" I'd say these'd be some okay guidelines.

I have been know to consider myself a, "fey indie boy." Though mostly on the inside and I've heard about like, two of the bands you've named.

Everything (fashion-wise) that's been described is what I was hoping to hear from this thread (that thread was the reason I stopped lurking and signed up).

The thing is though I love this stereotype I've never been there and lived it so it takes on a kind of mythology for me, I guess in the same way Japanese streetwear had an effect on American kids (like when it was still underground).

Admitedly my mental image is as much effected by the photographs as by artwork such as the comic book Blue Monday.

I'm sure I dress terribly, hence no pictures, but in my head I kinda see my style as a cross between Icarus and Selegna. The jumers/cardigans, pins, scarfs but Dickies over jeans and skate shoes over chucks.

I was very influenced by the photos in my bmx magazines (mostly Dig) growing up, full of well I'd call it emo but you'd probably call it someone else. Folks like Brian Tunney anyway (I think he used to work for Jade Tree or still does..).

Sorry, I'm not really adding anything to this thread I just wanted to say I'm glad that err....it exists.

[dystaind]

nobody has mentioned Supergrass?

or the phrase:

Twee as fuck?

those are my 2 favorite things about twee.

[Icarus]

Well, Supergrass is alright, "I Should Coco" is definitely a fun album, but I've never thought of them as a twee-punk band, always as Brit rock. I'll give it another listen.

[poliopoliopolio]

tiger trap - 'my broken heart' just shuffled on my playlist. my very favorite song from 8th to 10th grade.

push kings, what?

oh, shit, i just found this: "A motel room party with members of: The Push Kings, Elf Power, Tullycraft, Dressy Bessy, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bunnygrunt, and I Am The World Trade Center all in one room! "

kLAV6ecpANM

i would have creamed my pants if i were there in 1997. i was so pissed when my parents wouldn't let me drive down to athens, ga with a bunch of 25 year olds to go to a popfest when i was 15. anyhow.

b-b-b-bump.

[Carl]

the one-two punch of "chester" and then "my broken heart"...

[poliopoliopolio]

the one-two punch of "chester" and then "my broken heart"...

have you heard the supercrush b-side, 'hiding'? shit, man, time to break out the 7"s. also, have you seen how much weight rose melberg lost recently?

CPIpPuy29Qs

[Icarus]

Favorite thread ever! I've been rocking out to Rocketship all night. Those heavy held synth lines just tear. I've been going through Slumberland recently and of course it is all gold.

I have the flyer for that Rose Melberg show as my desktop! They played it with Pants Yell! (speaking of which I am printing my pop zine this weekend and have a very long interview with Andrew, PM me your address for a copy). As far as Tigertrap goes I'm all about "Supercrush." I was humming it all day.

[poliopoliopolio]

Favorite thread ever! I've been rocking out to Rocketship all night. Those heavy held synth lines just tear. I've been going through Slumberland recently and of course it is all gold.

I have the flyer for that Rose Melberg show as my desktop! They played it with Pants Yell! (speaking of which I am printing my pop zine this weekend and have a very long interview with Andrew, PM me your address for a copy). As far as Tigertrap goes I'm all about "Supercrush." I was humming it all day.

man, that rocketship song on 'why popstars can't dance' was on triple repeat on my walkman in 8th grade. 'you and your new boyfriend walk hand in hand along the streets the way we used to...' shit, dude, i'm gonna download that right now.

also, i meant in my above post "lost weight" not "lost."

[Icarus]

You were much cooler than me in eighth grade. I am 4 years behind!

[poliopoliopolio]

haha, i had two older sisters and pored over the old issues of sassy, cometbus, and the one well-worn copy of maximum rock 'n roll they left behind. then i started hanging out with nattily dressed pop kids in shitty coffee houses...ah, youth.

[CBM]

needed to bring this thread back from the dead...

just to get things rolling - totally into these guys right now: -

Horowitz

www.myspace.com/horowitzband

especially loving "popkids of the world unite" but all their songs are pretty incredible. had a release on Cloudberry but i think it is sold out now (?)

[napoleon]

needed to bring this thread back from the dead...

Thanks. Every time I browse through sufu there is another nice music thread I'm interested in that appears from the past. Not that I like all Twee and I've never heard the term Twee-punk before today, but I've had The Trembling Blue Stars and by extension the Field Mice playing in my car on and off since I forever and a day. It's the only thing that sometimes calms me down on the road. And poliopoliopolio's post is just fantabulous, just because I'm also a huge sucker for mellow female vocals, ala Cat Power's You Are Free.

[Fookums]

Oh wow, how did I miss this. +repppppp for bumping this

Would Suburban Kids with Biblical Names (http://www.myspace.com/suburbankidswithbiblicalnames) fit in the topic? I saw Labrador mentioned so...

[CBM]

also, a couple of blogs i love that would fit in here...

http://skatterbrain.org/

http://alex-loves.blogspot.com/ (+ points for being located in brisbane, haha)

http://www.thinksmall.nl/

[keagan]

http://www.indie-mp3.co.uk

good blog- no illegals.

[Icarus]

Oh yay!

I would put Suburban Kids in the Swedish hi-fi indie-pop category. They're a wonderful band, but they don't really borrow from the Sarah/C86/Creation/Slumberland mold. Pretty much anything on Labrador is decidedly not twee punk.

Lately I've been listening to a lot of the Aisler Set, Pastels, 14 Iced Bears, Marine Girls, Television Personalities, Tyvek, and caUSE co-MOTION! I met up with caUSE co-MOTION! in New York and will hopeully have an interview coming out in the spring copy of my zine. I have to listen to them pretty much everyday, they definitely fit everything I love to a T. I also got a 7" from Slumberland by the How and it's fucking incredible, gauzy lo-fi hook rock.

On other fronts I just discovered the Royal We and I am digging on it, a sort of Bush Tetras/ Raincoats derivative Glaswegian band on the Pastels' label, Geographic.

[CBM]

oh yeah the royal we are awesome.

i thought it was so disappointing how they broke up by playing their last gig the day their debut was released, though. even though the debut is amazing it is kind of upsetting that it could possibly be the last we hear of them, you know?

[ahk1979]

Oh yay!

Pretty much anything on Labrador is decidedly not twee punk.

the first Legends album is!

Another great NYC band to check out is:

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

[Icarus]

Those kids are great! I really need to grab their new release.

[poliopoliopolio]

caUSE co-MOTION! is great. nice dudes, too. tyvek's also really really good. i know those dudes from detroit. they just played in NY but i missed them.

[Guest]

bumping this thread for a sudden rekindled interest in everything non-electro

[DüM]

OLY 4 LIFE.

I should probably know more about K Records and all that shit seeing as how I live in Olympia

[dokydoky]

The new Los Campesinos album is fucking dynamite. I've been listening to it over and over for the past couple weeks.