I like bands with silly names. Better still if they actually turn out to be good. The American label Afternoon Records has a penchant for the ridiculously monikered, having several superalitive acts on their roster. My two favourites are Mouthful of Bees and We All Have Hooks For Hands. Mouthful of Bees released their second album in 2009, a self-titled masterpiece which came and went without any recognition in the UK. It’s a travesty that a record of such breadth and brilliance somehow slipped under the radar. Here’s a taster:
And the other band, We All Have Hooks For Hands, are from Sioux Falls. There are nine of them in total and they make a riotous racket with massive pop hooks and an unerring sense of fun. This week they released a new EP, Girls.
Ever since I heard their debut album The Pretender, I’ve been in love with WAHHFH. The Pretender was passionate, youthful, lo-fi and full of an infectious and chaotic energy. Their next release, The Shape of Energy, was an altogether more mature album. And as the title suggests, it was the sound of a band that had learnt to harness and refine their energy into tighter, more rounded songs. And now in April here they come again with their Girls EP. The bursts of brass are still there, the high-pitched vocals, the joyful yelps, the warped country motifs, and yes, the energy. Click here to download the EP for free and don’t forget to spread the word – silly names don’t always equate to crap bands.