I Killed Bambi

So. That music post I was going to do. The one I kept hinting at. Well, I'm not going to do it any more. Probably. It sounded like a good idea but it turned out to be not so good after all once I'd gotten into it. I mean, I'm not saying never. Probably don't ever say never. Okay, to some things, yes, sure, but not to ideas for posts about music. That's a door that doesn't need to be closed for good, just pushed shut for a while.

I guess it wouldn't do any harm to say what it was. It's not like it was a big thing, after all. It's all this hedging and hemming that's made it sound like it was something. Which it was not. Well, okay, it was something. Everything's something. It just wasn't anything much.

See, what happened was, there was this piece on Stereogum about a new EP by audiobooks (Who really should think about that name, btw.) and I watched the video for the track Burnt Pictures, which you can see here , if you didn't already, and I liked it so I went to YouTube and watched some more of their stuff, which was when I saw this one, which I liked best of all of them.

He Called Me Bambi - audiobooks

Creepy, isn't it? In, as they say, a good way, although how something can be creepy in a good way is hard to explain. Language is fun. Anyway, one thing listening to it did was put me in mind of a band I hadn't thought of for a long time- the Bambi Slam. 

I had a twelve-inch single by the Bambi Slam back in the '90s that I used to play quite a lot. I guess I still have it, if it comes to that. It had a track on called "Hit Me With Your Hairbrush" that I remembered as being pretty good and I thought I might enjoy listening to it again. 

It stands up alright although it's a bit more psychobilly than I recalled. Reminds me of the Screaming Blue Messiahs, about whom I have an anecdote I do not propose to repeat here. It also made me wonder how many other songs about Bambi or bands with Bambi in their name there might be.

Answer: way more than you would ever imagine. I ran it through Lyrics.com and got 

It really didn't help that "bambi" appears to be a word in its own right in a whole bunch of languages, including meaning "baby" in Yoruba, which I'm guessing is where Walt Disney got the name from in the first place. 

I was still keen at that point. I spent a couple of hours trying out likely candidates. Anything that looked like it might be funny or strange or even maybe actually good. It wasn't a great couple of hours, if I'm honest. When I came to review, even the ones I'd flagged as possibles weren't all that wonderful.

So, I'm gonna shelve the Bambi Project for now. Maybe one day I'll have both the time and the enthusiasm to shuffle through those thousand-plus results in search of half a dozen good ones but that day is not going to be today.

And it doesn't need to be because I have far more new-to-me tunes I want to share than can fit in one post. There will have to be cullage. Which is a word, in case you were wondering.

Incorrect - King of Cats

Remember Garden Center from last week? This is the band lead singer Max Levy was in before that. He's toned it down some since then, hasn't he? Before King of Cats (Or possibly at the same time.) he was in Joanna Gruesome, who I vaguely remember. They're good too but I'm saving them for next time. It'll be good to have some continuity.

All I Got - Frost Children

The past is nice but the future's in the present. Then again, hyperpop feels like it's already slipping backwards. I came in too late, I think. The new 100 Gecs record just sounds like pop-punk revivalism to me. Okay, not "just" but too much. It's like when Poppy veered off into metal. Sometimes you have to get off the train.

Tides - Sadie

Yeah but not yet. Not when there are people out there making music as lush and dreamy as this. Keywords: woozy, hypersaturated, liminal. But is it even hyperpop? I listened to some of her other stuff (All good.) and it sounded more like synthwave to me. But what do I know?

Haffmilch Holiday - Decisive Pink (Jane Weaver remix)

I thought it was about time we heard something from Jane. I'd prefer a new album but remixes are always interesting. The original sounds quite Jane Weaveresque so it's not that much of a makeover. She mostly thickens it up a lot, makes it sound less tinny. She's touring the US right now so here's your chance to go see the magic happen.

Barley - Water From Your Eyes

Art rock. Doncha just? Bits of this are almost bluesy. I don't have a lot to say about it other than that so let's move on.

Idaho Alien - Youth Lagoon

There's a backstory to this guy, I think. He used to record as Youth Lagoon then he stopped for a few years and went with his real name, Trevor Powers, instead. Now he's back as Youth Lagoon again. I imagine it means something but I couldn't tell you what. 

I will tell you, though, that he makes great videos or has them made for him. (This one's "Shot, directed, and edited by Tyler T. Williams.") I watched several and they're like little mini movies. Worth searching out, especially if you want to see what small towns in Idaho look like. Jane Weaver's playing the Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho in three weeks' time as part of an absolutely insanely huge line-up, including a whole bunch of people I'd love to see. Frost Children are going to be there. Dirk Gently is right; everything is connected.

In Verona - Lael Neale

While we're on an art kick, how about eight minutes of drone inspired by Romeo and Juliet? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

It's on SubPop, which always makes me suspicious. Videos on Vevo do, too, although if pushed I'd struggle to explain why. I need to get over these unreasoning prejudices.

Bummer - Midnight Lobster

And finally, because I think we all deserve a bit of cheering up after the last two, here's something that made me grin like a monkey. I love everything about it, from the keyboard player's maxi-dress to the singer's face paint to the handclaps. I particularly love how much it sounds like the wonderful Camera Obscura. If only more bands did, what happier people we'd all be.

Can't resist quoting some of the lyrics, too. How's this for a couplet?

"can't find my lover , coz they are fucker 

don't even bother, you're just a bummer"

Says it all, don't you think?