A Good Band You've (Probably) Never Heard Of: Whatfor
I get a lot of godawful CDs in the mail.
A lot of dudes who are in the same boat either immediately dump the discs or shamefully hock 'em to whichever used dealer will buy back promos (the number of which might be growing thanks to certain recent rulings), but I make an effort to listen to as much of the unsolicited, unknown music as I can.
I may do this because I feel guilty about poor musicians burning a significant portion of their monthly ramen budget to press and ship me their music. I may do this because I enjoy the occasional trainwreck. Mostly, though, I do this because sometimes-- not frequently, but a few times a year-- I find a bright, shining diamond amongst the trash.
The debut from Whatfor is one of those diamonds.
Sooner Late Than Never sounds like someone took the bulk of my musical diet circa 2002 and threw it in the blender; one half comes off like the Strokes' attempt at recording a sequel to Rubber Soul, the other like outtakes from Rufus Wainwright's Poses.
Check out their MySpace page or click on the Amazon MP3 Clips Widget below to sample the album.
&mdash Jeff Reguilon
Jeff Reguilon on June 24, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Fair enough, but us editors and our warped minds are responsible for everything you see on this here blog-- no outside influence. It's pretty funny to think about a baby band from Wisconsin on a totally indie label buying us off, though.
RegD on June 24, 2008 at 11:05 AM
jer made a reasonable assumption given how much labels publishers & studios pay Amazon for promotion. that's how they roll
Jeff Reguilon on June 22, 2008 at 02:46 PM
Not a penny, Jer. That's not how I roll, friend. Believe it or not, I only take the time to recommend something when I actually like it. Thanks for commenting and feel free to stop by and insult me again in the future!
Jer on June 21, 2008 at 01:06 PM
so how much did they pay you to promote them?
Jeff Reguilon on June 19, 2008 at 03:52 PM
That's an interesting suggestion, Mr. Flap Jackson. It's a little too slavish to the Beach Boys' sound, but I like that sound, so I can't be too mad at it.
Flap Jackson on June 19, 2008 at 09:31 AM
Check out The Explorers Club, an awesome group out of SC that's perfect for summer with their stylistic tribute to The Beach Boys. They might be the best band you've never heard of.
http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Wind-Explorers-Club/dp/B00165VESK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1213890602&sr=8-1