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White Rabbits Have Some Very Strange Ideas About Spring Break Songs

White Rabbits aren't your run-of-the-mill hipsters. The New York Times recently likened the New York band's third album, Milk Famous, to "Radiohead's technique of surrounding a sustained vocal melody with jagged pointillism... some songs barely bother to flesh out their chords. They're all rhythm and riffs," cobbled together from an assortment of musical instruments and bruised feelings, writes pop critic Jon Pareles.

The band, which has its roots in Columbia., Mo. and plays Fitz Wednesday, first came to Rocks Off's attention on the appropriately aggressive "Percussion Gun," from 2009's It's Frightening. Obviously this is one band that likes to dance - because you can totally see five guys in all black on a beach somewhere - so we asked someone to give us a list of their favorite Spring Break Songs.

We expected the standard Brooklyn Party Jamz playlist, but instead Jamie Levinson - one of White Rabbits' two drummers - sent over 10 selections about 80-year-old schoolhouse tragedies, itinerant crop-decimating insects, train wrecks and coffins, plus something from one of the raunchiest albums ever made. We like them even better now.

10. 2 Live Crew, As Nasty As They Wanna Be (entire album)

"The Fuck Shop":

Ten dollars, two hours is the time of the stay

It's more than enough time to slay

Each room has a bed and also a sink

So you can wash your dick after fucking the pink

9. The Carter Family, Engine 143":

Up the road she darted, against the rocks she crashed

Upside-down the engine turned, poor Georgie's breast it smashed

His head was against the firebox door, the flames were rolling high

I'm glad I was born for an engineer, on the C&O road to die

8. Edward L. Crain, "Bandit Cole Younger":

We run for life, for death was near, four hundred on our trail

We soon was overtaken and landed safe in jail

'Twas there in the Stillwater jail we lay, a-wearing our lives away

Two James boys left to tell the tale of the sad and fateful day

7. Dixon Brothers, "The School House Fire":

You could hear those children singing

Voices ringing clear and sweet

Never dreaming in their joy

Of the fate that they would meet

But their joys were all blighted

They began to scream and rage

When a lantern fell that evening

Streaming fire upon the stage

6. Buell Kazee, "The Waggoner's Lad":

Your wagon needs greasing, your whip is to mend

Some sit down here by me as long as you can

My wagon is greasy, my whip's in my hand

So fare-you-well darling no longer to stand

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Chris Gray has been Music Editor for the Houston Press since 2008. He is the proud father of a Beatles-loving toddler named Oliver.
Contact: Chris Gray