Skip to main content

Dum Dum Girls

86
Dum Dum Girls


Dum Dum Girls


Dum Dum Girls, named after a Vaselines album and Iggy Pop song, came onto my radar with their 2014 release Too True. Besides that album, they only had two other releases, 2010’s I Will Be & 2011's Only In Dreams. What’s kinda’ funny is I remember the album cover for I Will Be, because it was released as the same year as Vampire Weekend’s second album, Contra, & resembled the cover of that album. Remember when the whole Polaroid album cover thing had taken off into a trend. What can I say other than- if you like indie-rock- 12 times out of 10- you’re gonna’ like Dum Dum Girls. Too True remains one of my favorite albums to re-visit. Remember the line about lighting a candle & playing The Who’s Tommy and being able to see your entire future? Well, the same could said for Too True.  It takes you places. Reverb vocals, guitars + pedals, pop… slick-songwriting 'n' sensibility. Alright- I’m growing tired of my fandom… here are the logistics of the band: Dum Dum Girls were a ‘60s-inspired-lo-fi band, led by Kristin Gundred (stage name: Dee Dee Dum Dum) & founded in L.A. in 2008. Kristin (a.k.a. Dee Dee) quickly became an indie darling after their self-titled EP, specifically the track “Yours Alone” was released in 2009 and what started off as a solo-bedroom-project turned into a full-fledged band. They signed with legendary Sub Pop Records & their first single for the label was "Jail La La." Three albums & an EP later (the EP was titled He Gets Me High [and was recorded right before Kristine’s mother’s death) Dee Dee realized she was done being a Dum Dum, officially putting an end to Dum Dum Girls. She continues playing music as Kristin Kontrol but nothing will ever capture the magic and fun like the Dum Dum Girls. Here’s a video of them live on Letterman. It’s…
Dum Dum Girls

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grouper

 131 Grouper  Grouper Reverb. Echo. Effects. Acoustic. Droney. These are some words you could use to explain Grouper's earlier work. Grouper is the solo project of Liz Harris. Her first album was self-titled & self-released. Grouper's second album was 2006's Way Their Crept . There was something special about that mid-ought's droney-underwater sounding indie. Grouper would go on to release five (!) more albums before I came on board as a fan: 2006's Wide , 2007's Cover The Windows & The Walls , 2008's widely acclaimed Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill & 2011's double-album (but separately released) AIA: Dream Loss & AIA: Alien Observer ... just to be followed up by 2012's double album: Violent Replacement Part I and Violent Replacement Part II . It wasn't until Grouper's more structured-releases that I became a full fledged fan. It was with 2013's The Man Who Died In His Boat that I finally jumped on board as a full-fled...

Billie Holiday

27 Billie Holiday Billie Holiday The first jazz singer to really incorporate blues & move peoples hearts, Billie is immortal. I didn't get into her with her traditional music but rather the 2007 album Remixed and Reimagined . Even through the chops & screws- one thing was unmistakable- that voice- so beautiful, so unique, so pure... She said she tried to sing like a horn & it's evident. She is one of the most accomplish vocal performers of all time. A half-a-century later & her style is still mimicked. Billie is as American as apple pie. In 1935 she was singing at the Apollo Theater. She hopped around labels- Columbia to Decca to Verve- until finding her home. She would battle personal problems (drug use & the like). She would pass away on July 17, 1959. Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington... there's certain artist that are almost as important to American history as they are to the progression of popular music itself. Billie is one of...

Drake

84 Drake Drake It’s not everyday that a rapper comes along & breaks arecord for most Top Ten singles by an artist or band, a record held by The Beatles for 54 years. Drake released his first mixtape in 2006 but he first bust onto the scene (not including his acting career on Degrassi High ) with 2009’s timeless-single “ Best I Ever Had ,” which, with the help of its sexist (but still sexy) video , peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, not bad for a song off a   mixtape: 2009’s So Far Gone . With the unexpected success of the mixtape, the debut album 2010’s Thank MeLater quickly arrived. I didn’t jump on the band wagon until his second album, 2011’s Take Care , which, I will still argue is his best. It probably helps that the title track was produced by one of my favorite DJ’s, ( Jamie xx ). 2013 gave us Nothing Was The Same ,   which proved Drake could really spit bars. His lasting power could no longer be questioned. 2015 gave us If You’re Reading This It’s T...