NYLON - February 2009 - (Page 122) bookmark: I SAW YOU You can find all kinds of stuff on Craigslist—fur covered buses, unicycle lawnmowers, and cursed coffee mugs (seriously, six dollars! But each day tons of ). people in cities all over the world click on the “Missed Connections” link to see if they might score a little love. Inspired by the hours she spent perusing the listings herself, writer and illustrator Julia Wertz created a blog to call for submissions based on real-life Missed Connections that artists had come across. The resulting graphic novel, I Saw You… (Crown Publishing) is a collection , of the funniest, most touching, and imaginative responses she received, drawn by the likes of Peter Bagg and Gabrielle Bell. “I became intrigued with the concept of a subculture of people who feel they missed something great because they didn’t have the courage to speak up,” Wertz writes in her editor’s letter, where she rather touchingly reaches out to a Missed Connection of her own. So for those of you still batting your eyelashes at strangers and perfecting your lonely bar pose, I Saw You… proves there’s still hope for those moments you feared had passed you by. MALLORY RICE the birds and the bee ray guns are not just thefuture (BLUE NOTE) The Bird and the Bee play shimmery indie pop sprinkled with jazzy vocal lilts that sound as if they’ve been been lifted straight from the cocktail lounge. Familiar elements return on the band’s second album, but the sound exchanges some of the sparkle for more solid beats. Inara George continues singing love songs, only stretching her smooth nearwhisper on “You’re a Cad” and “Polite Dance Song.” And lines like “You ought to shake it like you just don’t care” feel about as natural as your grandmother trying to Crip Walk; the band could use a little nudge away from thin, pretty sounds and venture toward something bolder. CHRISTINE WERTHMAN PONYTAIL b-sides In the ’90s, Baltimore Club (or “B-more Club”) emerged as a hybrid of hip-hop and stacatto house featuring samples ripped from everything from Sanford and Son to SpongeBob SquarePants. Well, Wham City’s party circuit has been jump-started again in the last couple of years by a different brand of dance music, fueled by the clap-happy hooks and toe-tapping grooves of bands like these 10. Get in on them. MATTIS WITH teeth mountain Teeth Mountain sounds like the free-jazz band Mom and Dad used to be in back in the ’70s, she playing violin with a wrench, and he on the sax with abandon. Add in some trumpets and bongos, and it’s like a 1970s freak-folk jam done good. myspace.com/ thank you Thank You consists of three punker boys doing their very best to beat the shit out of every instrument they can get their hands on. And that’s a good thing, trust. myspace.com/ wethankyou lesser gonzalez alvarez Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez’s fragile folk songs might not make the biggest ripple in the massive sea of new music, but that doesn’t make them any less beautiful. myspace.com/ lessergonzalezalvarez wye oak Frontman Andy Smith croons like Elliot Smith without the tristesse, and his female counterpart, Jenn Wasner, sings like she longs for nothing but Adam. Ah, young love. myspace.com/wyeoak ecstatic sunshine One moment quiet and melodic, the next very noisy, then quiet again, then Depending on their mood, this outfit is as minimalist as post-rock and as loud as death metal. myspace.com/ ecstaticsunshine teethmountain videohippos These guys holler into gas masks and tinker with obscure synths and toy axes to create surprisingly melodic Baltimore noise. myspace.com/videohippos ponytail Like a kick in the face. Imagine reading a Japanese comic book when suddenly the little girl with the weird haircut jumps out from the pages, yells at you, rips your paperback copy of The Origin of Species, and smashes your guitar. myspace.com/jreamteam santa dads Santa Dads are the most fun band in Baltimore. Not just because their name is awesome. These two guys use beat-boxing, the ukulele, and church-like vocals to make a lovely racket. myspace.com/ santadads future islands This twee electro-pop trio is heir to Dan Deacon’s throne as Baltimore’s international ambassador of freaked out, ADHD electro. myspace.com/ futureislands double dagger Their MySpace page classifies their music as “pop/pop/pop,” but we say punk/punk/punk! myspace.com/ doubledaggersucks http://www.myspace.com/wyeoak http://www.myspace.com/wethankyou http://www.myspace.com/lessergonzalezalvarez http://www.myspace.com/teethmountain http://www.myspace.com/ecstaticsunshine http://www.myspace.com/videohippos http://www.myspace.com/santadads http://www.myspace.com/jreamteam http://www.myspace.com/ http://www.myspace.com/futureislands
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