It List: Tuesday 12/19/06

The Strange Boys/Attractive And Popular/Sticky Buns/Velma Loves Daphne (Rubber Gloves)

A strong lineup tonight divided evenly between straight-ahead garage rockers and a couple of dance-oriented acts. Strange Boys and Velma Loves Daphne definitely share a lot of early 60's influences, though the former have mellowed considerably in their approach to song writing. Velma Loves Daphne are trashier in a Pebbles box set kind of way, with the vocals sometimes reminding me of a young Neil Haggerty. Unfortunately, their name reminds me of one of my least favorite local bands of all time. Their music, thankfully, does not. Sticky Buns is a DJ duo that plays a lot of beat-heavy indie rock, profane electroclash, and even some Hall & Oates. I saw them back in the fall and thought their selection was well thought out while also really fun. I don't know why they haven't gotten more attention locally. I preferred them to many other DJ's I've heard this year. Finally, Attractive and Popular are from Louisiana but play here so often they're sometimes confused for locals. They have deservingly struck a deal with the highly influential GSL Records to release their full-lenght debut. They're an intense live experience mostly due to the wonderful contrast between a confrontational lead singer and the hypnotically robotic drumming.