The Idle Hands
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The Idle Hands

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | INDIE

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | INDIE
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"“Socialite Death Squad” — free track from the Idle Hands"

The Idle Hands have a new EP, Life Is Beautiful. How could we resist a track called “Socialite Death Squad”?

The band was formed when brothers Ciaran and Criostoir Daly relocated from Ireland to Minneapolis and were joined by Eileen Omizo-Whittenberg on keys, Al Wires on guitar and Nicco Franz Huber on drums. Their 2009 outing, The Hearts We Broke On Our Way To The Show, got some play around the monkey’s house (though the recent iTunes disaster left us Idle Hands-less). Because we’re lazy, here’s what they say for themselves:

“The band unites the sounds of Brit-pop, New Romantic keyboards, and David Bowie-esque glam and shoots them through with David Lynch debauchery and velvet sleaze. ‘Socialite Death Squad’ kicks off with a distorted bass line that drives the song straight to the dance floor with a tongue-in-cheek chorus.”

Aight.

Here goes:Socialite Death Squad - Blood Dirt & Angels


"Idle Hands’ Devilishly Clever “Socialite Death Squad”"

Idle hands, idle hands.. what was it mama used to say about Idle Hands? Oh well, can’t remember. “Socialite Death Squad” by The Idle Hands from Minneapolis is a refreshing and unusual pop number that more than lives up to its name. Now then, what to do with my hands.. there seems to be some sort of force controlling them.. does anyone else smell sulfur? Hmm, my head is rotating, this can’t be normal. Gr8 song! Enjoy. - Superfan


"DOWNLOAD: The Idle Hands"

The Idle Hands is what happens when you move your kids from the U.K. to the midwest at a tender young age; you end up with some of the best aspects of both infused in the band's music. Brothers Ciaran and Criostoir Daly form the core of The Idle Hands and it's the former's sneeringly sweet Britpop vocal affectations and the latter's spot-on and melodic bass that really drives the group's sound. To these folks it doesn't mater whether Oasis or Blur won the battle because they're only in it for the music.
The Idle Hands used to play Chicago pretty regularly but it's been a while since we've heard from them, so we're pleased to see they've got new material on the way in the form of their new EP, Life Is Beautiful, out on March 1. The band continues to refine and sharpen their sound, and while they are wholly beholden to their influences they still manage to mark each tune as their own. It's the same distinction that lifted their influences above the pack of also rans back in the mid-'90s and it's great fun to get lost in.
We have a sneak peek for you in the form of the disc's lead track, the dancefloor ready "Socialite Death Squad." - Chicagoist


"The Singles: The Idle Hands – “Socialite Death Squad”"

The quintet known as The Idle Hands offer the latest single “Socialite Death Squad” from their upcoming EP “Life is Beautiful” – it’s a nice track that you can’t help falling in to, with its swaying rhythm and uncomplicated lyrics. - ghetto blaster magazine


"Video: Ken Jeong Photo-Bombs Kate Upton"

Somehow, the Community and The Hangover Part II star found his way onto the set of of our sexy photoshoot with stunning It Girl Kate Upton. And then he wouldn't get out of the shot.

(Idle Hands' song 'Socialite Death Squad' soundtracks)
- gq.com


"The Idle Hands "Loaded" (casually brilliant neo-britpop)"

Simple, driving, and evocative, "Loaded" has the cool dry makings of an underground anthem about it. Embodying a musical vector that starts in the late '60s with the Velvets (Loaded, in fact, was the name of the last true Velvet Underground album) and runs through '70s Bowie, '80s Smiths, and '90s Oasis, The Idle Hands here deliver a casually brilliant, sharply-produced bit of neo-Britpop that's positively resplendent in its matter-of-fact-ness, if that makes sense. Surely it outshines the majority of the either under- or over-thought-out indie rock music that's all but strangling the internet (not to mention, this week, the city of Austin, Texas) by decade's end. Almost always the amount of naiveté or frippery on display in a song is inversely proportional to the underlying musical solidity of the enterprise. "Loaded" is nothing if not sleek and to the point, even if the point is a world-weary one.
The ongoing trick for quality rock'n'roll, however, is how to keep the simple from being, simply, boring. "Loaded" catches and holds the ear in a number of ways. I like the rubbery synth line that traces a satisfying upward and downward path in the intro; I like the forceful but blasé baritone of singer Ciaran (no last name given), a voice at home with lyrics alternately cultivated and dissipated--bringing Morrissey (no first name given) to mind yet without sounding like a mindless acolyte. I like the somewhat unusual (in indie rock) use of internal rhyme--there's nothing too strict going on here, but if you pay attention you'll hear words being rhymed that do not always end a lyrical line. I like the perfect balance of fuzz and jangle in the guitar sound, and how neither sound overwhelms the song. And most of all I like the direct but vivid chorus, built upon the most basic three notes in the musical scale, just do re mi, but it's all about putting them in the right order, to the right rhythm, with the right chords.
Featuring two Irish brothers and three Americans, the Idle Hands are based in Minneapolis and are readying their full-length debut for an American release this year. "Loaded" was originally on an EP released only in the U.K. in 2006; it will appear on the new CD as well. - Fingertips blog


"Idle hands pick up speed with local radio's blessing"

The Hearts We Broke on the Way to the Show makes long-awaited debut this month
By Andrea Swensson Wednesday, Jun 24 2009

Fans of 89.3 the Current will undoubtedly be familiar with the Idle Hands, even if they don't recognize the band by name—their new single, "Loaded," has been spinning nonstop since lead singer Ciaran Daly sent over a burned copy of his new CD on a whim.

"We sent a CD-R to the Current, in the hopes that they would maybe play a track or two...and they just started putting it into heavy rotation," explains Daly over a glass of wine at a bistro near Loring Park. "It literally was a CD-R with Sharpie on it that we sent to them, so we weren't really expecting that at all. We were shocked and delighted." He grins modestly, a strand of his jaggedly cut hair hanging over one eye. "It's kind of weird hearing yourself on the radio. But I think I could get used to it."

"Loaded" is the first single off the band's debut full-length album, The Hearts We Broke on the Way to the Show, which was just released locally this month. The Idle Hands have existed in one form or another since 2002—they opened for Brian Jonestown Massacre at their very first show—but the process of getting a full album recorded and mastered took a good portion of the last decade.

"We did the first four songs with Mark Needham—a friend of ours hooked us up with him. He did the Killers, and Cake's Fashion Nugget," Daly explains. "We flew out to L.A., and he recorded four songs for us. He did that for free, in the hopes that a major label would give us bags of money, and then major labels stopped giving people bags of money." The rest of the tracks were recorded at the Devil's Workshop with prolific local engineer Chad Weiss, and then sent to renowned producer Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, the Dandy Warhols) for mixing.

When asked how his band managed to work with such talented studio professionals, Daly just shrugs and smiles. "We were really lucky."

The handiwork of all involved is evident on Hearts. The album has a classic feel; strains of similarly disenchanted singers like T.Rex's Marc Bolan and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker are present in Daly's scoffed lyrics, while the band churns out tightly woven post-punk and new-wave-influenced pop. Songs like "Loaded," "The '80s Killed Your Boyfriend," and "The Fall" showcase Daly's wry sense of humor and general disdain for all things mainstream.

Daly says that a childhood spent moving from country to country gave him a unique perspective on his place in life. Though you could classify Daly as a local scenester (his CD-release show at the Kitty Cat Klub a few weekends ago was filled with the city's hippest fashionistas, and he seems to be friends with every musician and artist in town), you'd be hard-pressed to find a spot of pretension in his demeanor.

"My earliest memories are of Vienna, in Austria," he says. "Then we moved briefly to Ireland—my parents are Irish—and then after that we moved to England for about four years, and then we came here. So that was a culture shock. I was 12. I was the sort of 12-year-old kid with a bowl cut who was used to wearing a school uniform. I was the dorky, troubled outcast, loner weirdo in high school. But I think that's a pretty good rite of passage for people, because hopefully it stops you from repeating the mistakes of high school over and over again—caring a little bit too much about what people think."

Now that his music is being fed to the Twin Cities masses via the Current, Daly says he has already seen an increased interest in his band. Right after the Current started spinning "Loaded," he says, "we played at the 331, and I remember looking around being, like, 'Who the hell are these people?' Where did they come from? As much as I love the local scene, and I have a lot of friends in it, it's nice to play to somebody besides the few hundred people that you know. That's been very noticeable."

The Idle Hands plan to release their CD nationally this September through Pretty Kids Collective, and follow up with a national tour. Daly says he has high hopes for the future of his band. "We want to do this for a living. This is what all of us want to do. And I want roadies, goddamn it," he says, laughing. "I want a toothless dude named Nigel from Stoke-on-Trent with a bad coke habit who can wire amps by hand to carry my shit around for me. I want that going on." - City Pages


"DOWNLOAD: The Idle Hands"

We had kind of lost touch with the Minneapolis group The Idle Hands over the years. The last time we saw them we found them to be an O.K. group that was perhaps a tad too besotted with late '80s shoegaze and 120 Minutes re-runs. Not a bad thing, but not exactly the sort of music that demands our full attention.

With their new effort, The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show, the band has dropped that set of retro tendencies for a more interesting dressing. Taking heavy cues from the Britpop explosion and injecting it with psychedelic pop flourishes and occasional bursts of C60 simplicity, the band has managed to focus their approach and create something vibrant and new. There are certainly still the tendencies to look to the past for inspiration, but they do so without merely aping their favorite styles. The ingredients are familiar, but the end result is deliciously distinct.

Check out the lead off track "Loaded" and see just why we've grown enamored with the Idle Hands. - Chicagoist


"CMJ 2010: The Idle Hands at Fontana’s 10/20/10"

Having held court long enough at the LimeWire Store-sponsored CMJ press mixer last night, I dashed over to Fontana’s to catch what I could of Green Room Music Source’s Minneapolis Showcase. While I missed out on the folk-rock goodness provided by the Minnesotan likes of Fort Wilson Riot and Communist Daughter, I did catch a very tight, very rocking set from The Idle Hands, who won over the sizeable crowd with their straight-up, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll. The five-piece blazed their way through songs from their latest full length release, The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show, as well as some new ones from an upcoming album whose release is said to be right around the corner. Lead singer Ciaran Daly brought some Bowie-esque swagger to the affair, every now and then letting a bit of his Irish brogue sneak into the wry delivery of his half-sung/half-shouted lyrics. His very-related looking brother Criostoir (Irish twins, anyone?) provided a driving backbone via some totally tasteful bass lines. You wouldn’t necessarily peg The Idle Hands as a dance band — they come across as more of a fist-pumping affair — but by the end of their set, the crowd couldn’t help but bust out some serious moves…no small feat in the limited subterranean space of Fontana’s. - Limewire


"Chris Riemenschneider, best local records of the year"

Idle leaders Ciaran and Criostoir Daly don't have to strut their native Irish roots to gain credibility for their classic, U.K.-style pop/rock. Their co-ed quintet's full-length debut should be filed alongside the Fratellis or Arctic Monkeys as new leaders of the old-school, Beatles vs Stones sound. Scrappy, rowdy gems such as "Sunshine on the Tenements" come off as well as more stylized, synth-tinged rockers such as "Loaded" and "The 80s Killed Your Boyfriend." - Star Tribune


Discography

"Loaded" EP LaVolta records UK, 2006

"The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show", Pretty Kids Collective, 2009

"Life is Beautiful" EP, Pretty Kids Collective, 2011

Photos

Bio

The Idle Hands find band bios to be hateful things, and best kept simple.

Their 2011 EP 'Life is Beautiful' has received airplay on Jonesy's Jukebox, 89.3 the Current, KEXP (featured Song of the Day) among others, as well as having standout track 'Socialite Death Squad' featured in GQ's online comedy issue, soundtracking Ken Jeong's photo bombing of Kate Upton.

Their last full length, 2009's "The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show", garnered heavy radio play on 89.3 The Current, and received favorable notices on prominent blogs and in Spin, Blurt and Marie Claire, landing on several critics year-end best of lists.

They are currently hard at work on their second full length release with the renowned Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, Dandy Warhols).