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 stayIt'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 crashedUpside-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 trailWe 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 singingVoices 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 mendSome 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