Let's Find Out About! One-Eyed Doll...

In my running gag here, I introduce you to bands/artists that I have just recently learned about (maybe you know them already, but they're new to me). And I give you a video to wet your appetite.

One-Eyed Doll
Just Press Play calls One-Eyed Doll (she's a singer/guitarist (real name Kimberly Freeman), not a band) "dirty, corrupt, and dangerously sweet." She dresses up in scary makeup, wacky outfits, and is that a Statue of Liberty hat? Her song "Be My Friend" features a refrain, "Serial killer are people too/If you take away their voices, I'm just like you/I'll hack you up and bury you in my yard/But why does making friends have to be so very hard?" All this comes from a sweet-voiced girl. Thank God there's One-Eyed Doll, now that Be Your Own Pet has broken up. I need a teenage girl serial killer in my life.


Crocodiles
The band comes from San Diego. They first came to the attention of the music world with their single "Neon Jesus," released last year. Now they have an excellent full-length called Summer of Hate coming up at the end of this month, which has given them a bit of exposure among the blog world (they've been called a Band to Watch by Stereogum and Stark Magazine). Maybe they are yet another group that sounds like Jesus and Mary Chain and Velvet Underground, but frankly, there's a reason so many bands mimic that sound and the Crocodiles do a fantastic job of it.


Voxtrot
They are an indie group formed in 2002 by Ramesh Srivastata in Austin, Texas (which we know is home to the weird). The group has gotten a fair amount of attention from the internet (Pitchfork, in particular, loved their first two EPs and then panned their debut LP but what do you expect?). They still need to record a follow-up to their debut. They definitely have the talent to break through to the mainstream (at least the indie mainstream).


Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark
This synth-pop group was formed back in the late-70s in Liverpool, so they were really playing with synths before that became a big (annoying) thing. They were originally part of the same scene that produced Echo & the Bunnymen and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. They are one of the few groups to actually have more success in the US than in the UK (they hit number four in the States with "If You Leave" off the Pretty in Pink soundtrack), although they had perhaps the most success of all in Germany, where their single "Maiden of Orleans" was enormously successful. The original band broke up in 1996 and then re-formed three years ago. Their 1984 single "Tesla Girls" is (I'm guessing here) the inspiration for Tesla Boy, whom I profiled last week. But despite all their success, I think it's fair to say that they have been frequently overlooked when discussing the most popular/best/most influential bands of the '80s. I, for one, did not know anything about them before writing this article.


The Love Language
This indie group comes from Raleigh, North Carolina. Much like previously profiled The City and Horses, The Love Language was created out of a rather painful breakup between singer/songwriter Stuart McLamb and his then-girlfriend. How painful exactly? McLamb told Spin,

When I came to, I was in a friend's apartment in handcuffs with my ankles bound, not knowing how I got there.

The group was originally just McLamb, but now contains seven members. Love Language was recently profiled on NPR, giving them exposure among suburban housewives everywhere. They also received a nice-sized article in a recent issue of Spin, who named them a "Hot New Band." The future looks bright for McLamb, who has a musical philosophy that I like a lot:

"I'm a real lo-fi junkie," he says. "I like the [Band's] Big Pink philosophy -- you should have a dog on the floor of a basement while you're recording. That's where the best stuff happens."

Hum
Let's let Allmusic introduce the band:

Endless feedback, a heavenly drone, and an obsession with science and outer space: these three elements perhaps most define the beautiful style that has become the trademark of the unmatchable Hum.

Groups with space fascinations (Sun Ra Arkestra, Dr. Octagon) are always great. Hum was formed in 1989 in my home state of Illinois. In their prime they toured with the Jesus Lizard, Liz Phair and the Smashing Pumpkins. They recorded their first demo in the basement of legendary producer Steve Albini. Hum had some success with the single "Stars" off their major label debut, You'd Prefer an Astronaut in 1995. They even appeared on Beavis and Butthead, as well as on Howard Stern's show. They broke up in 2000, but have recently played a handful of reunion shows in the Chicago area.


Rumspringa
Rumspirnga means "adolescence" in Amish. I never knew that Amish had its own language, but apparently it does. The group comes from the LA-area. They describe their influences as being a mixture of Skip James, Creedence and Chicha:

psychedelic Peruvian music that came around the 60s and also the local alcoholic beverage derived from corn which the Peruvians drank.

Read that whole interview because it's pretty hilarious. And check out the video below, suppposedly directed by Shia Labeouf (do you really expect me to believe Shia Labeouf has the balls to do this? If it's true, I guess I just gained a dose of respect for the man)


Bellman Barker
Bellman Barker comes from the DC area. Their singer has a mustache, which is always a plus. And their name comes from "a book about circuses." Here are their commendable plans for the future:

Recording a full-length, tour, get filthy rich and famous, see our faces all over PerezHilton, drug addiction, rehab, jail stints, flashing our genitals to the paparazzi while getting in our cars, etc.

They look like a fun group and I look forward to that debut full-length.


As for the picture up top, that's from Blue Velvet, my favorite David Lynch film. I was looking for the picture in which Isabella Rossellini is straight-up naked, but couldn't find it. That scene ranks with the one in The Shining with the girl in the bathtub as Most Terrifying/Gross Scene with a Beautiful Naked Lady.