DOWNLOAD: The Idle Hands
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 17, 2009 6:20PM
Photo by Melissa Johnson
We had kind of lost touch with the Minneapolis group The Idle Hands over the years. The last time we saw them we found them to be an O.K. group that was perhaps a tad too besotted with late '80s shoegaze and 120 Minutes re-runs. Not a bad thing, but not exactly the sort of music that demands our full attention.
With their new effort, The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show, the band has dropped that set of retro tendencies for a more interesting dressing. Taking heavy cues from the Britpop explosion and injecting it with psychedelic pop flourishes and occasional bursts of C60 simplicity, the band has managed to focus their approach and create something vibrant and new. There are certainly still the tendencies to look to the past for inspiration, but they do so without merely aping their favorite styles. The ingredients are familiar, but the end result is deliciously distinct.
Check out the lead off track "Loaded" and see just why we've grown enamored with the Idle Hands.
The Idle Hands play tonight, September 17, at Schubas, 3159 N Southport, 9 p.m., $8, 21+