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 What is Twee? Twee is a genre of music best described as the baby brother of punk, it has all the diy parts but none of the harsh parts, the sound is more with jangling guitars played by shy girls and boys. Also a whole bunch of handclaps Who are important in the Twee world Some 'famous' names: Amelia Fletcher: known from Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research and more recently Tender Trap. Everything she touches is good. Bobby (Robert) Wratten: The most sensitive and softest man in twee, known from The Field Mice,Trembling Blue Stars, Northern Picture Library, The Yesterday Sky and The Occasional Keepers. Calvin Johnson: Founded K Records and is also part of some great twee bands like Beat Happening, The Halo Benders and more. Sarah Records: The Essential Twee label, you can pick something from here and you got a huge chance it will be great. C86: The cassette compilation that started it all, not purely twee but it has a lot of good and forgotten stuff. Bands: A list of some of the most essential classic bands can be found in this P4K Article: http://pitchfork.com/features/artic...6-twee-as-gently caress/. Make sure you check out Heavenly and The Field Mice because they are probably 2 of the best twee bands ever. Personal Favourites that still make music: Acid House Kings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dROJvBiHrnU Allo Darlin': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGrnXEBq3QE Airliner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPUa6MuXOe4 Ballboy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdppq8nEZrU Betty And The Werewolves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PfxLPtf-s4 Hospitality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GJiUBGOsr8 The Just Joans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn1YBRmmXig My Little Airport: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRsdg6Yn0U0 The School: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H11aAzCQ4Ao Veronica Falls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUw-1YdhFrI Twee and Adjacent: Here I post a list of bands that often get considered twee but are somewhat controversial considering they aren't 'purely' twee, are twee but don't make music any more or anything else that doesn't fit neatly in the other categories. I won't post anything bad here though! -Aerospace (great twee band, said to still record but haven't seen anything in years? Airliner is a solo project of one of these guys) -Another Sunny Day (Good twee pop, bit whiny though so don't get it if you don't like that!) -Architecture In Helsinki (Released 2.5 Twee albums before going fully Indie Pop, still its all good stuff) -Arrah and the Ferns (Their stuff is free: url]http://arrahandtheferns.bandcamp.com/[/url] ) -Band Á Part (cute enough Spanish Indie Pop with a Twee vibe) -Bart & Friends + The Cat's Miaow (Australian Indie Pop/Twee, I am putting these two together because their main release, 10 Songs About Cars & Girls, was a split album) -The Barlebees (German Twee, Released just a single very lo.fi twee album) -Beat Happening (Another of those Legendary twee bands headed up by Calvin Johson, it is notable for how much rougher sounding they are then most twee stuff and how extremely low Calvin's voice is. The man owns) -Belle & Sebastian (Obviously very well known, some would not consider it twee, I do and especially their first album, Tigermilk, is great stuff) -Biff Bang Pow! (Essential part of the C86 scene, so very jangly) -Black Tambourine (Shoegaze adjacent twee and one of the earliest ones, if you like them check out Velocity Girl too who I find too far removed from Twee to place here but are great and part of the same scene.) -Blue Clocks Green (They have just one song, its good) -C86, I am going to be lazy here and just recommend you check out the C86 Last.fm page for the many bands affiliated with this: http://www.last.fm/tag/c86 -The Boy Least Likely (So cute, so childish I really dig his cover of Faith) -Bubblegum Splash (Released just 5 songs before fading into obscurity, good stuff) -Butcher Boy (Very Scottish, very good) -Camera Obscura (The Female Fronted counterpart to Belle & Sebastian but somewhat less well known) -Catnaps (Cute and partly free: http://catnaps.bandcamp.com/album/boys-drool) -Club 8 (Cute guy/girl duo from Sweden) -Cub (Another part of the old scene, also described as cuddlecore) -Glo-Worm (If you want to find more twee bands yourself, this is an excellent starting point considering all members were in other twee bands) -Hefner (A personal favourite, absolutely get The Fidelity Wars) -I'm From Barcelona (people are mixed on them, but I personally do feel they are worth checking out) -Los Campesinos! (Despite their newer albums, their first EP (The International Tweexcore Underground) was quite twee and contains an excellent C is the Heavenly Option cover) -The Magnetic Fields (Genre hoppers, one of the genres they touch is twee.) -The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (P4K loves them, I think they are just okayish with a few excellent songs) -Sambassadeur (Great twee, check out Between The Lines, also check out their label, Labrador Records for a lot of good stuff) -Tullycraft (Still make music, however never hit the heights (imo) of Old Traditions, New Standards with such excellent songs as Josie again.) -The Vaselines (Kurt Cobain loved them, if you like his music you will like this) Other Twee bands that are good but I have nothing to say about without reaching: 14 Iced Bears, Trixie's Big Red Motorbike (okay I lied, they do have a new album coming out soon so that's exciting!), Tiger Trap, Talulah Gosh, One Happy Island, Standard Fare, The Softies, Small Factory, Slow Club, Shop Assistants, Sea Urchins, Sea Lions, Saturday Looks Good To Me, Rocketship, Razorcuts, The Popguns, Pastels, The Nivens, Moving Pictures, Moofish Catfish, Let's Whisper, Honeybunch, The Hit Parade, God Help the Girl, Go Sailor, Free Loan Investments, The Flatmates, Even as We Speak, The Corner Laughers, Close Lobsters, The Bodines. Exciting stuff in the Twee world right now: Chickfactor is having a kickstarter for a new magazine: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...7-paper-fanzine The Pains of Being Pure At Heart is going to release a new album soon maybe possibly? Allo Darlin' is touring Europe and I'm going to see them. What else? I thought this poo poo was called Anorak music? Please don't start this argument, despite a large part of the British Scene apparently hating the term twee it is the more well known one and the one I will use here! You forgot my favourite band! Considering the fact how many Twee bands there are, and how many of them faded into obscurity this is quite possible, don't be shy to post them since all I posted here is just the part of my personal collection that I have on me right now.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 17:51 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 08:38 |
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I'm an obsessive weirdo sometimes and I made this huge twee/indie pop playlist on Spotify. Here, it has pretty much every band Davincie mentioned and then some http://open.spotify.com/user/doodoc...JwohyE3lXHVupzB. I can't really tell which sound I like more. I love the west coast US style (like Tiger Trap, the Softies, Beat Happening), if not mainly because it was centered around the area I'm from. But sometimes that Sarah sound really clicks with me. I think Tiger Trap are one of my favorites. Rose Melburg has the perfect voice for twee, innocent, bored, and vaguely sad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnTvrnNzXLQ These guys had a split with Tiger Trap. Their first album is a lot noisier and closer to shoegaze, but this one is uh twee as gently caress. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDX6K9bd0tw From the first album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgCyRZr3pYk This band is Lois Maffeo and some other guy. Lois Maffeo also goes by Lois and put out a bunch of good albums in the 90s. This was before that (90-91). Story goes they named the band after their crazy roommate who would enter the rest of the world's consciousness in a few years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tuQDdf_pCY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aY89GQbLcc
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 18:58 |
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The Doo Do Chasers posted:I think Tiger Trap are one of my favorites. Rose Melburg has the perfect voice for twee, innocent, bored, and vaguely sad. If you don't like Tiger Trap, well I then I just don't know. I've been listening to their s/t about ten times a week since I discovered it in June. I tend to listen to a lot of Beat Happening around this time of the year. One of the best bands ever, all of their albums are classics. Plus, I've got a huge mancrush on Calvin Johnson.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 20:49 |
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Mostly into the American stuff these days, personal favorites include Go Sailor and Beat Happening. I have a K Records tattoo on my arm, which perhaps wasn't all that well thought out because I'm not THAT obsessed with K Recs stuff, but I can't say I regret it as such. I also have a black tambourine tattooed on my arm that has nothing to do with Black Tambourine. I do like them a lot though. Not hugely into the British stuff anymore, it feels a little one-note and drizzly and bleak at times. I will say however that The Field Mice and Another Sunny Day absolutely hit the spot when I do want something drizzly and bleak. I am absolutely loving Hefner at the moment though I'm not sure how much they really fit into the "twee" scene.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 22:22 |
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I am not really a fan of most of this kind of music but I also try not to judge (as far as musical preferences go). But what do you actually like about this genre of music. Edit: I sound like I am being a judgmental rear end in a top hat, I assure you I am not trying to be I am genuinely curious.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 22:35 |
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why oh WHY posted:I am not really a fan of most of this kind of music but I also try not to judge (as far as musical preferences go). But what do you actually like about this genre of music. Same here. I'm usually the first person to find something awesome about any type of music, and the stuff I have heard has been catchy. However, for some reason it just seems to come off as...not genuine? Done with a wink and a nudge? Something about it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that I can't quite place. I'm prepared to be torn to shreds.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 22:50 |
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Hidden Mother posted:Not hugely into the British stuff anymore, it feels a little one-note and drizzly and bleak at times. I will say however that The Field Mice and Another Sunny Day absolutely hit the spot when I do want something drizzly and bleak. I am absolutely loving Hefner at the moment though I'm not sure how much they really fit into the "twee" scene. Hefner is a favourite of mine! If you like them you should look at some of the other work Darren Hayman did like The French and his solo work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSTuiKkxcZE Allo Darlin' did a great cover of this song too on their Rough Trade cd. why oh WHY posted:I am not really a fan of most of this kind of music but I also try not to judge (as far as musical preferences go). But what do you actually like about this genre of music. Anyway I realised I forgot to post Jens Lekman, he isn't quite Twee but he is excellent and occasionally evokes Calvin Johnson in some of his songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2cGQyk0KEM I was lucky enough to see him perform this live on his last tour, and man having this be sung by 300 man is beautiful.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 22:52 |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pKkOOQR7_o Seminal proto-twee, yo. Does anyone know how Dan Treacy is doing, by the way? I hear he had a really nasty brain aneurysm around this time last year but was on the mend.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 23:25 |
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John ai Marre posted:Same here. I'm usually the first person to find something awesome about any type of music, and the stuff I have heard has been catchy. However, for some reason it just seems to come off as...not genuine? Done with a wink and a nudge? Something about it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that I can't quite place. Love & happiness are both corny as gently caress, conceptually and in practice. So if you're playing that stuff straight, it comes off as inherently goofy, and if you're relating things as you feel them, there's typically a note of dry irony. Or you can mix them up, which is probably characteristic for the twee artists I enjoy the most (Allo Darlin, Darren Hayman, Jens Lekman, B&S).
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| # ? Nov 15, 2012 23:40 |
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I'm curious, would some of Lullatone be considered Twee? I haven't heard of the genre before. When I listened to a few of the examples, Lullatone popped into my head. For example, some songs of this album like Bedroom Bossa Band http://lullatone.bandcamp.com/album...a-pop-pour-vous
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 00:50 |
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Man oh man I love the poo poo out of this genre. I haven't heard of about half the bands in the OP though so thanks for giving me additional bands to check out! My favorite twee band that isn't in the OP is Blueboy. They're an old Sarah band, very frail and fey even for this genre, and their songs sometimes dip into string sections or bossa nova territory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH977gU9m64 My favorite proto-twee band that isn't mentioned in the OP is Orange Juice, an incredible Scottish postpunk band that gave Blueboy their name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qz9Uqk55Jo. Their early singles were hugely influential on the jangle pop sound a lot of Sarah bands were after. why oh WHY posted:I am not really a fan of most of this kind of music but I also try not to judge (as far as musical preferences go). But what do you actually like about this genre of music.  ) and there's not a lot of our culture that values those qualities. Also I am a sucker for saccharine sweet melodic hooks, and good twee has those in spades.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 02:10 |
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John ai Marre posted:Same here. I'm usually the first person to find something awesome about any type of music, and the stuff I have heard has been catchy. However, for some reason it just seems to come off as...not genuine? Done with a wink and a nudge? Something about it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that I can't quite place. Please listen to this song and comment on whether or not it is genuine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR9VTwX_4Pk
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 02:17 |
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the black husserl posted:Please listen to this song and comment on whether or not it is genuine. Now that I quite like, especially the vocals. Reminds me of a detuned Matt Berninger. I usually find the not-so-technically minded singers the most emotionally charged, so this is up my alley.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 03:04 |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFz-S94fa04 Probably my favorite Beat Happening song.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 03:45 |
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That Betty and the Werewolves record is one of my favorite twee records. They really scratch my twee itch most of the time.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 05:09 |
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I always thought of The Concretes as a better less known kind of Camera Obscura. Missed Jens Lekman earlier this week, looking forward to see my absolute favorite band Tilly and the Wall tomorrow (not twee but as indie as a band with tap dancers could be). I'm a fan of Amelia Fletcher and every incarnation of band she's been with, I've always been disappointed that they've never really toured here. I could go on and on about this kind of thing. Bookmarking this thread.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 05:58 |
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I lovre Beat Happening and twee music! Great thread!
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 07:18 |
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John ai Marre posted:Same here. I'm usually the first person to find something awesome about any type of music, and the stuff I have heard has been catchy. However, for some reason it just seems to come off as...not genuine? Done with a wink and a nudge? Something about it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that I can't quite place. How is it in any way not genuine? Its like the most obnoxiously sincere music in the world. Also I love Amelia Fletcher's music but I really can't get into Tender Trap, maybe because it reminds me of a bad version of older Magnetic Fields Hidden Mother posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pKkOOQR7_o And Don't The Kids Just Love It is one of my favorite albums. Haven't been able to get into their other albums, even though I'd love to. I do like this song a lot though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukCbBk8r0vo Its also a great example of what I love about twee/indie pop. Its corny as hell but played with enough a perfect balance of sincerity and tongue in cheek-ness that it works so well.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 07:55 |
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Hidden Mother posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pKkOOQR7_o Last I heard he was still in therapy, but nothing recent I've picked up. SineRider posted:I'm curious, would some of Lullatone be considered Twee? I haven't heard of the genre before. When I listened to a few of the examples, Lullatone popped into my head. I would be hard pressed to call Lullatone Twee, however, from what I've heard so far I definitely think that you could find overlap between quite a few of the more childish sounding twee bands (The Smittens isn't a band I am a fan of but they got the childish sound down and it does remind me ever so slightly of Shuge Tokumaru) but you know, not a whole lot of guitar work. Certainly could fit in the musical family though! Also while sitting on the train I realised I forgot to mention Twee Time, its a decent enough radio show/podcast. They got their bad songs but also a good amount of good stuff and its a good way to keep up with the Canadian scene. http://www.cjlo.com/onair/twee-time
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| # ? Nov 16, 2012 16:12 |
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I have been in a huge twee phase as of late. It all started a few months ago when I realized Belle and Sebastian had become my favorite band. I asked in, I think the indie thread, about any bands that sound like them and was introduced to twee. I haven't listened to everything out there yet. I do love Heavenly though and Los Campesinos. Acid House Kings are awesome as well IMO. I didn't realize this could technically count as twee but I had already been listening to The Halo Benders for years after finding them through the connection to Built To Spill. Calvin Johnsons voice is just mesmerizing.
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 08:12 |
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Behold! A Elk! posted:Calvin Johnsons voice is just mesmerizing. The one and only time I've seen him live he played one old blues song and then got embarrassed and walked away. It was weird. He had really nice hair though...
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 08:18 |
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I'm not super into twee outside of B&S and Camera Obscura not because I don't like that style but because I think the production is gutless on a lot of twee albums. That being said, I started listening to The Field Mice and they're way better in that department though they seem more twee by way of being on Sarah Records than sounding typically twee.
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 08:33 |
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I will preface this post by saying I am completely not into Twee music at all. Really not my cup of tea no matter how cute it sounds however there is this great group from town that is basically a pop punk band fronted by a female vocalist / bassist whose voice is absolutely sweet sounding. They are catchy as hell and the only group I could think of to contribute to this thread. They are called Sci-Fi Caper, here is a link to their music : http://www.facebook.com/scificaper/app_204974879526524 a video of one of their songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEAAAl0Jio and amazingly a Linda Linda cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzhT0ygGO0c like any group too I'm sure they'd be happy to see someone post something nice about them on their page or whatever.
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 11:21 |
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EMZ998 posted:They are called Sci-Fi Caper, This is loving awesome. I went to a thousand house shows in college and all the noise idiots could never make something half as good as this.
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 17:06 |
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The Chickfactor kickstarter has just 2 hours and 450 bucks left, so if you want in guys now is the last chance! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...7-paper-fanzine Also I managed to get my hands on an Airport Girl album, its some good and very 'fuzzy' sounding twee pop, so try it if you like the harsher stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGnpSxquoJA
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| # ? Nov 17, 2012 21:54 |
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I like a selective set of twee. Mostly things that are pretty upbeat! Such as Puzzle Pieces by Tiger Trap and Sperm Meets Egg, So What? by Heavenly Also some Helen Love but I think most of their songs kind of sound the same. Some friends of mine have a twee band called Secret Beach, I think they're pretty good but I could just be biased. Maybe give a listen to Blood from their first album and OMg which they released pretty recently. I could never get myself to like Calvin Johnson's voice, mostly because I first heard him on the Heavenly song C is the Heavenly Option and it just didn't do it for me. I know I'm pretty outnumbered on that one. If anyone knows any bands who sound like the above I'd love to hear them!!
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| # ? Nov 18, 2012 21:36 |
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Thornes posted:I like a selective set of twee. Mostly things that are pretty upbeat! Go Sailor are super similar to Tiger Trap and share some members. Though they are really cheesy. I posted Courtney Love a lil earlier, they might be up your alley.
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 05:35 |
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mjs6643 posted:I'm not super into twee outside of B&S and Camera Obscura not because I don't like that style but because I think the production is gutless on a lot of twee albums. That being said, I started listening to The Field Mice and they're way better in that department though they seem more twee by way of being on Sarah Records than sounding typically twee. B&S and CO are more related to twee than actual twee to begin with. Post-IYFS, and certainly DCW onwards, B&S are certainly not twee in any way whatsoever anymore.
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 12:50 |
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Thornes posted:If anyone knows any bands who sound like the above I'd love to hear them!! There's currently some stirring of bands who've finally realised that sounding like Tiger Trap is a good idea, and the best of that lot is Sourpatch. This music is amongst my most favourite ever, but i'm too dull to contribute anything worthwhile to this thread. I'm sorry. Oh the Garlands's album is out next week on Shelflife, just in time to be the indiepop album of the year. Also this isn't the best song released on Sarah, but its the one that i think most perfectly captures what they were about, in both myth and reality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYWXq4i0IoA
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 14:47 |
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TWA TOOTS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueZSE9ICTr8 This EP is by far the greatest Peel session ever as well as some of the greatest music I have ever heard.
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 14:55 |
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I am really glad twee got its own thread. I owe NMD for getting me really into twee about a year or so ago when people started posting about it in the indie megathread. A friend introduced me to B&S 2 years ago and If You're Feeling Sinister became one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. However, after reading that thread, I started with Camera Obscura and Los Campesinos! before diving into the less popular stuff like Tiger Trap, Heavenly, Field Mice, and Beat Happenings. I feel like I had a pretty typical introduction/progression into twee. One thing I find really interesting about the genre is the history and context of it with regards to other music at the time. The Pitchfork article does a good job talking about twee as a reaction against the punk era--the idea that being cutesy could be an act of counterculture too. Mr. Tibbs fucked around with this message at Nov 19, 2012 around 18:16 |
| # ? Nov 19, 2012 18:09 |
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Cool thread. About a year ago I got really into twee - it's a slippery slope yo. Betty and the Werewolves, Camera Obscura, Tiger Trap, etc all the ones that have been listed. I don't really get the "not genuine" complaint. I think it's why Allo Darlin is my favorite Twee group - most of their lyrics have tongue firmly planted in cheek, especially on the first album. "Heartbeat Chili" is adorable and funny but earnest. I'm really bad with genres but I think East Hundred is real good. Maybe they're more dreamwave or whatever poo poo than twee but here's a good song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XH0wn8T_VI
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 18:57 |
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dutch wife abc posted:TWA TOOTS: This is brilliant, great find!
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 22:25 |
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Tiger Trap is my life! Okay, well not quite. They are very good though. I don't like most Twee bands because they are so silly and oftentimes more image centric than musical, but I really really really like Tiger Trap
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| # ? Nov 19, 2012 22:50 |
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I've seen Cub, Lois, The Softies and Beat Happening perform. Who wants to touch me?
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| # ? Nov 20, 2012 16:25 |
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love me some field mice and b&s most self-aware twee song? field mice-sensitive http://youtu.be/zE9JRLwdwno
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| # ? Nov 21, 2012 00:22 |
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I just got into The Orchids, a secondary Sarah Records band. The main release I like better than Field Mice, more of an upbeat rhythm, less acoustically based. I also like B&S, Camera Obscura etc. etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nA8BW4gB04 A Kind of Eden, this song is incredible, it uses their secondary female vocalist, so it may not be that representative. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtgmiP3Ux78 title track off Striving for the Lazy Perfection CatchrNdRy fucked around with this message at Nov 21, 2012 around 06:50 |
| # ? Nov 21, 2012 06:47 |
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FitFortDanga posted:I've seen Cub, Lois, The Softies and Beat Happening perform. Who wants to touch me? I almost went to the Chickfactor Portland thing but I totally forgot to ask for the day off.
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| # ? Nov 21, 2012 06:49 |
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why oh WHY posted:I am not really a fan of most of this kind of music but I also try not to judge (as far as musical preferences go). But what do you actually like about this genre of music. Because I'm a sheltered suburban indie kid, and I like music that speaks to me and is still catchy pop. I loved Architecture In Helsinki when they were twee with their first album, and there was lots of amazing stuff on Australia's Candle Records like The Lucksmiths.
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| # ? Nov 25, 2012 23:52 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 08:38 |
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Millionth-ing everyone who mentioned Tiger Trap and Go Sailor. Tiger Trap is just a perfect band. "Prettiest Boy" is probably my favorite song of theirs.
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| # ? Nov 26, 2012 07:12 |
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