They added a guitarist by the name of Dapose (born Mike Dappen), whose death metal past worked perfectly with the gloomy, but still oddly upbeat, sentiments of the new record.

The Faint: The Geeks were Right(Does it offend you? Yeah! Remix)

Straight outta La Réserve Faunique des Laurentides, the Church of the Budgerigars has developed quite a congregation since moving to Montreal three years ago, and most converts will tell you they were drawn in by the alluring Moog rock and psycho-siren emissions of Duchess Says.

The band is Ismael (keys, guitar), Phil (guitar, bass, feedback), Simon Says (drums, beats, "doubtful noises") and A-C (vocals, keytar, guitar), renowned for her eruptive voice, wide-eyed, hyperactive stage presence and that conspicuously incognito look - oversized tacky shades, sports-car-red lipstick and a big brown wig that's sometimes subject to rapid-fire, on-stage "styling" by her bandmates.

Most shows begin with a solemn and somewhat abstract reading from the Pamphlet of Budgerigars, but for those who haven't heard or understood the gospel, here's an explanation of sorts from Ms. A-C:

"The Church of Budgerigars was created to promote the Duchess (or spiritual budgie) and spread its values through sophisticated and elaborate information programs. The church proposes a vast range of products and services including psychic lines, numerology, geomancy, religious shop, the Budgie Laboratories and, principally, our rock band, Duchess Says."

The band's Web site, www.duchesssays.com, features the Duchess's timeline, from her birth in 1897 to her adoption of the habit and the electric guitar in the '20s to her beatification in 1993. It may sound mighty Catholic, but there's something about budgie worship and analog-electro rock that rings pagan.

No matter what your religious or secular affiliations, Duchess Says invite you into their world this weekend for a "Crazy Show" featuring a flurry of music, breakdancing, showgirls, circus performers and visuals. Fortunately for the faithful, this show ends the dry spell that set in after the cancellation of the band's monthly meetings (DJ parties) at L'Escogriffe.

"That project degenerated into total chaos - we were instantly banned from the place," says Phil. Ismael adds, "We're now having our meetings in a secret location where we can play cards and eat logs in peace."

Duchess Says: Melon

When you’re on the road, all you have is fast food. In L.A., you can finally go have a drink, fruit, vegetables. Ridiculous selection of food. Tex-Mex. You can go to a cafe and see some kind of celebrity.

We saw Dennis Quaid just standing at the airport. It’s really our favorite L.A. celebrity.

The Presets: My People

The Presets: Kicking & Screaming (BangGang's E is For Edit)

when the human voice was replaced by bleeps and clonks and bands like LFO ruled the roost! It is rumoured that Rex is an alias of Jake Williams who had a slew of top ten hits in Europe in the early '90s. Others claim Rex is a German electro/techno producer. Others claim he is a super intelligent mutant dog.

Rex the Dog: Itchy Scratchy (Coin Operated Boy Remix)

And of course we as a group tend to try our best to lose ourselves in music, and to truly get lost I think one has to go very deeply backwards in musical history—back, back, back—until you reach the beginning of song, which is undeniably the heartbeat. From the heartbeat of birds came their melodic embellishments, and then the squirrels and small rodents began to chime in with clicking sounds and the cracking of nuts. Then the chimps began to bang rocks, and from there the hides were stretched by early men. So as the collective mind of GGD travels, we often end up at this place where all these exciting things were first happening, hence: HEAVY PERCUSSION.

gang gang dance: Princes (feat. Tinchy Stryder)

(grŭm)
a. 1. Morose; severe of countenance; sour; surly; glum; grim.
2. Low; deep in the throat; guttural; rumbling; as, a grum voice.

Grum: Woah

My dearest of Dans.


Since only owning a iPod shuffle since early ´05ish, I often catch myself not knowing what I´m listening to. Today I just had that experience. Weekly I add few new songs which caught my eyes&ears at Hypem.com. Usually I don´t memorize the artist or the title unless, like on this particular occasion, something turns the hat on my head.

Dan Deacon - Wham City