fantods
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | INDIE
Music
Press
While everyone in this town seems obsessed with the recent rock explosion, some people are preparing for the next wave to come crashing down. The Fantods have braced for the backlash by recording an LP of strange and evocative tunes that is guaranteed to make restaurant patrons sop waitresses and point upwards to ask, "Who is this band?" Taking their name from an archaic word for "a state of nervous tension" or "an emotional outburst or fit", they sound like an early Violent Femmes locked inside Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies. Frantic in one chord and haunting the next, this schizophrenic style is sure to pique the interest of a tired ear. - The Coast
A ride on the swing set at the park - what could be more lighthearted? Unless you're the only person on the swings, and you think you see eyes glowing in the bushes but you're not sure, and whose stupid idea was it to meet at the park after midnight anyway? How about a drive in the country? Now there's a lovely summertime activity. Unless you're driving through unfamiliar woods in the middle of the night and the gas tank indicator for your boneshaker of a car hit E 10 minutes ago.
These subtle details illustrate how easily situations slide from sweet to sinister. The difference between a sunny afternoon play date and the creepy clanging of playground equipment chains after dark is the difference between regular folk rock and the music of the Fantods.
The music of the Fantods explores territory previously visited by college rock heroes The Violent Femmes and the Pixies, and by the king of freaky fables, author and illustrator Edward Gorey. You can hear them meandering all over Eastern melodies and Western horror classics on their excellent new CD 'Horrornova', set for release Friday at the Seahorse. - The Coast (Tara Wittchen)
Discography
'The Fantods' - Self-titled LP, 2003.
'Horrornova' LP - early 2005
'The Durty 13' LP - late 2005.
'Ride the Moose' LP - Sept. 2009
Photos
Bio
There are Fantods. We originate in a landscape of frozen swamps, dark acidic trees and looming factories. In a soggy bordertown shed, Bunny and the Professor began writing songs to escape the gloom. Later, they were joined by Bango, the Professor's twin drummer. These three outcasts migrated to Halifax and were subjected to numerous mutations, then joined by Jay 'Golden Boy' Methot and Tim Topping on bass and guitar, respectively.
The Fantods are a Spook Rock band. Our main influences are the Pixies, the Violent Femmes, the Velvet Underground, and Ween. We write dark and glistening songs, roaming grittily beneath genres, hunting down the involuntary.
The Fantods live show is a mix of Stooges-style trash and thumping indie-radio rock. During our eight-year tenure in Halifax we have played too many venues to list, haunting Halifax like a ghostly 18th century regiment. Even the airwaves are not safe: CKDU, CBC and Q104 have put many of our tracks in regular rotation as our albums appeared. Sometime after we played a set live on CKDU, an unknown programmer played the Durty 13 in its entirety, allowing for an extra-long coffee break.
This haunting of our adopted city became a full-scale demonic possession with the release of 'Ride the Moose', recorded live with no overdubs and released in September 2009. This flagship has begun to terrorize the high seas with a skeleton crew of new spook rock anthems. If you have ever, ever felt the weirdness down inside, this is your music.
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