I put it near the end of a saaad mix, it's a saaaad song. Not crap, New Year! Looking forward to seeing them later this year.

I think they killed the song there. There was no appreciation of the peculiar nuance which is integral to everything Kadane. Definitely one of those bands where it isn't really worth covering them because it's going to make you look bad by comparison. I'm talking about the whole Bedhead/New Year continuity here.

Vaguely related, Bedhead and The New Year don't sound much they are from Texas. Can anyone put into words the link between the group and their home state? I can't really hear it. There's obviously some spiritual elements which seem very southern but beyond that, it's odd that this incredible music came from the Lone Star.

tommydski wrote:Definitely one of those bands where it isn't really worth covering them because it's going to make you look bad by comparison. I'm talking about the whole Bedhead/New Year continuity here.

I disagree.

I'm yet to hear Bedhead.

Can someone tell me their best album to start with?

AnthonyVillalobos wrote:I'm yet to hear Bedhead.

Can someone tell me their best album to start with?

"Transaction de Novo" is my favorite Bedhead album (and also one of the best albums ever seen, heard, or imagined on Earth).

It seems to be the consensus favorite as well, but don't miss out of the others (2 albums, 2 eps), because they're all stellar...

tommydski wrote:Vaguely related, Bedhead and The New Year don't sound much they are from Texas. Can anyone put into words the link between the group and their home state? I can't really hear it. There's obviously some spiritual elements which seem very southern but beyond that, it's odd that this incredible music came from the Lone Star.

As a Texan, they sound very Texas to me. I can't point out what, how or why, but there is a bit of home to it. There's a vibe--slow and trapped in vastness; they tap into an element that is close to home. (Maybe the more local bands you saw from Dallas/Denton/Austin in the mid 90s, the more it makes sense and fits into the puzzle).

kenoki wrote:

tommydski wrote:Vaguely related, Bedhead and The New Year don't sound much they are from Texas. Can anyone put into words the link between the group and their home state? I can't really hear it. There's obviously some spiritual elements which seem very southern but beyond that, it's odd that this incredible music came from the Lone Star.

As a Texan, they sound very Texas to me. I can't point out what, how or why, but there is a bit of home to it. There's a vibe--slow and trapped in vastness; they tap into an element that is close to home. (Maybe the more local bands you saw from Dallas/Denton/Austin in the mid 90s, the more it makes sense and fits into the puzzle).

Seems very Texan to me. But they are basically the reason that sound is very Texan, so it's kind of a circular thing.

One of the top 5 easiest Crap/Not Crap polls ever. I think i may listen to 'The New Year' more than any other band that is currently active. Possibly even more than Boredoms.

19 songs (soon to 29!) that i just don't seem to tire of.

NOT CRAP. Reverse waffles in 4-wheel drive.

Kenoki and tmidgett are correct on all points, Tommy. When Bedhead first came out, there was nothing like it. I was too young and camped outside of venues to hear Bedhead through the walls of clubs in high school. I couldn't tell through the walls but what separated them from much of Dallas music at the time is that they really gave an effort not to sound like shit. There wasn't much of that, from what I could glean sitting on a sidewalk, smoking, and feeling the bass vibrate through the walls. Now, try as I might, I cannot find any band similar that as is satisfactory, and none before hand. (Can anyone?) Now, I can't tell you how many times I talk to some young guy in a band, I mention Bedhead, and they say they've heard the name, have been compared to, but not actually heard their music. Playing a telecaster automatically puts you in this category round these parts. If I were rich, I'd find something other than a tele to play just to cut down on the obvious. But I am what I am.

Like Kenoki suggests, there's something sort of open and creepy about this stuff that is very Texas to me (especially the early/middle period Bedhead for me at least). That there were several very good bands around Denton in the 90s (and now, again) that incorporated somethings they did and do with a respectful nod rather than a "let's write Bedhead songs" mentality emphasizes it. Of course, it's always seemed to me they've been chronically under-appreciated around here. But what the fuck, we have the Cowboys.

Our little band is opening for TNY in a month or so. God forbid we fall into the latter category of stock copycats. But I don't know. Sometimes when I'm lusting after this moment to come, I kinda start to think a bit in the spirit of burun's dissent: maybe someone should try to more directly incorporate what they've done. These dudes write music that is so far and away my favorite that it kinda makes me sad that there isn't more like it. Maybe I should make some for myself. Who knows? What do you say Tim? It seems to me there might be some TNY lurking in BP. Maybe.

But more to your point Tommy, there are times in certain BH or TNY songs that there's clearly a country tinge, or at least a spirit or shuffle. Maybe it's just something that's in the water. But if you look at the bigger picture compare the state itself to those two bands. Both are mavericks of a sort. Texas was once a nation. The people here will remind you of this at every opportunity should you come here. They have more of a national character--partly because of its size--than Illinois or Delaware. The same way there are New Yorkers or Los Angeleans (sp?), there are Texans. Maybe that comparison is a bit rough and ready, but you should get the point. BH/TNY, is there anything like it? No. Not really. They're both quite singular.