Last year, I posted on a new band out of Madison, Wisconsin by the name of Pale Young Gentlemen. Their self-titled debut was a highly-enjoyable but overlooked disc of cabaret-inspired, string-laden indie rock, that even made my year-end list last year. On October 7, the band will already be releasing its follow-up, Black Forest (Tra La La). If the last album was a night in a strange indie-rock cabaret, this album is the more mellow morning after spent listening to chamber pop. The tempo may be a little slower, but the arrangements are even better and more interesting than on their debut.
As the song “The Crook of My Good Arm” shows, they can write string parts as off-kilter as Danny Elfman and as energetic as Ra Ra Riot, and back it all up with a solid melody that makes you want to come back. I still feel as I did a year ago- this is one of the best DIY indie bands around, and one that definitely deserves more attention… Enjoy this song, as well as a track from their first album!
MP3: Pale Young Gentlemen: “The Crook Of My Good Arm”
And, from their self-titled debut,
MP3: Pale Young Gentlemen: “Clap Your Hands”
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I recently received this in the mail. looking forward to hearing it once i have a little time
Another Madison band to check out is National Beekeepers Society. They just released their second album.
I usually don’t go for the cabaret inspired stuff, but this group really has something going.
The Pale Young Gentlemen band has the potential. This is what I believe. Well, their Black Forest (Tra La La) album is great.