Anyone care for a coupla 'grams?

Today’s music is nothing too new, even to me. It’s just a couple of songs from a band I’ve heard recently on Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

The Holograms, from Los Angeles, released Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends in 2005. The album, somewhat accurately described as the “sonically-satisfying results of Josie and the Pussycats getting carjacked by the Misfits,” caught the ear of Kim Fowley, a DJ on Sirius’ Underground Garage channel. Fowley played up the ‘grams on his radio show, and personally gave a copy of Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends to the main Underground Garager himself, Little Steven Van Zandt. Thanks in no small part to that strong support, “Are You Ready for It,” from their debut topped Billboard’s “Garage Rock” charts in early 2006 and was also the Underground Garage’s “Coolest Song in the World” for a period.

Bassist Samantha “Sammi” Franklin founded the Holograms in 2000. Sammi decided to start a band after interning at a record label. It was a “harebrained idea,” she told Hustler magazine in a December 2006 interview. “We could hardly play, but we just kept going. It was initially a very humbling beginning.”

The Holograms since have gone through a few line-up changes. Drummer Yumi Adachi, vocalist/keyboardist Jen Nguyen and guitarist Jean Hsu are the current members and have been with Sammi the last couple of years.

The Holograms are hard at work on their sophomore release, The New I Love You. They promise it will be “riddled with joyfully debauched gems” and be the same sort of infectious bubble-scum pop as their debut.

“Scene Whore” (“a foray into nonsensical nightclubbing habits”) comes from Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends. This is the song I’ve been hearing on the Underground Garage that sent me in search of more ‘grams. “Your Ex is Turning Tricks Again” comes from a 2004 Teenacide Records compilation Hey! It's a Teenacide Pajama Party. It’s a different version than you’ll find on 1000 Ex-Boyfriends; more crunchy and guitar-oriented, with the keyboards mixed way down.

Scene Whore.mp3
Your Ex is Turning Tricks Again (alternate version).mp3

Labels: pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 5:11 PM