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The best kept secret in music
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Good pick:
A Particularly Vicious Rumor – "A.P.V.R."
Absolutely dynamite debut effort from this New Orleans duo. Piano, vocals and drums, songs which could be characterized as noir cabaret except for the fact that this guy/girl band really rocks! Frontwoman/keyboardist Miss O has a wounded, haunting voice that reminds a little of Dana Schechter from Bee and Flower, albeit with a Louisiana accent. Drummer Kid Twist – who also plays with another particularly good and occasionally vicious band, El Radio Fantastique - makes up for the lack of a bass player with his fluid, swinging, occasionally martial beats and fills. There literally isn’t a bad song on the album. The song structures are interesting and complex, frequently with long instrumental passages ranging from midtempo to rather fast. Miss O generally prefers minor keys, inducing goosebumps with eerie passing tones and chromatics. Fans of Tom Waits, Rachelle Garniez, Botanica, LJ Murphy and Nick Cave will love this stuff. Fans of Tori Amos won’t know what to make of it. A Particularly Vicious Rumor has a reputation for killer live shows: as a last-minute addition to the bill at the Blu Lounge last week, they had a standing-room crowd ecstatic and dancing, to some very dark music. Damn impressive: this is Williamsburg, after all, where nobody dares to break their uber-cool façade. Hopefully this band will be back in town soon. Til then you can get the cd – which comes in a charming, oversize, hand-printed cardboard gatefold sleeve with lyrics - at http://www.myspace.com/aparticularlyviciousrumor - Allen Young
Discography
A Particularly Vicious Rumor - "A.P.V.R"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Miss O (piano and vocals) and Kid Twist (drums and vocals) have been told they make music to drown children by. These New Orleans residents are often compared to a two piece Siouxsie and the Banshees with a southern soul sound. Both are Texas born and raised music school dropouts that now collaborate with ideas and musicians of many and varied origins. Miss O is the student of the former educator of erykah badu, and Kid Twist grew up splitting his time between the symphony and the punk club. Miss O’s rich voice and strong left hand provide a hypnotic, percussive compliment to Kid Twist’s melodic, danceable rhythms. They both use their extensive history of composition for theatrical work in the development of their unique sound and performance. Allen Young of Trifectagram said (of their recent New York shows), "songs which could be characterized as noir cabaret except for the fact that this guy/girl band really rocks" and "(APVR) has a reputation for killer live shows: they had a standing-room crowd ecstatic and dancing, to some very dark music. Damn impressive: this is Williamsburg, after all, where nobody dares to break their uber-cool facade." Their lyrics explore the fleeting nature of intimacy and the desire for movement and change. In this way, the band is a two-sided coin; two halves made whole.
In the past, the members of APVR have shared the stage with The Dresden Dolls, Jim White (Dirty Three), Kid Congo Powers (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Cramps), Annie Anxiety (Crass), Afrirampo, members of Einsturzende Neubauten, The Centimeters, Veronica Lipgloss and the Evil Eyes, the Yard Dogs Road Show, The Reverend Glass Eye, performance artist Karen Finley, Mike West (Truckstop Honeymon), and jazz innovator William Parker, among others. APVR has recently returned from a successful tour to New York City, performing at the Mercury, Galapagos, and the underground party space, RUBULAD.
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