Some of the best music videos assault the norm with demented and disturbing scenarios. Take that UNKLE song from a few years back with Thom Yorke at the vocal helm, “Rabbit In Your Headlights”. That was downright phenomenal. And “Silent Shout” from The Knife was pretty amazing as well. The latest to pair insanity with audio greatness is Little Girls, whose video for “Youth Tunes” is, above all, creepy. But in madness there is often genius. Just look at painters (Van Gogh) and authors (Pirsig). There have been a fair share of musicians that fit the mold as well. Every so often, someone like Little Girls comes along that channels their bizarre psychosis into something utterly superior to the potential contrary. “Youth Tunes” is that superiority.

Little Girls: Growing [mp3]

Little Girls “Youth Tunes” from the album “Concepts” from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

Rock Plaza Central fit a comfortable medium between the highly intense and erratic folk of artists like O’Death and modern (and much more sane) artists like Megafaun and David Karsten Daniels. In all cases, these artists push the boundaries of folk and Americana despite maintaining a fairly comfortable lineup of instruments. “Handsome Men”, for example, is packed with fiddle and features an introductory trumpet. It’s backed by crashing cymbals and punchy percussion and a subtle guitar.

What sets a song like Rock Plaza Central’s “Handsome Men” apart from its contemporaries is the continual repetition of lyrics Don’t you believe the words of handsome men. They’re the only words in the chorus and have noted inclusion in each verse. The only spot where the band strays is in the bridge. “Handsome Men” begins with humbled, minimal beginnings, but ends with immense sound that finds Rock Plaza Central at their best. This is how folk music should sound.

Rock Plaza Central heads out next month on tour with The Weakerthans, starting in Boston and ending in Madison, WI. You can see their string of dates below the feature track.

Rock Plaza Central: Handsome Men [mp3]

RPC ON TOUR

9/16/09 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
9/17/09 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
9/18/09 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
9/19/09 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
9/20/09 Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live Downstairs
9/23/09 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre
9/24/09 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
9/25/09 Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
9/26/09 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock
9/27/09 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon

Written by Fense

Woodhands are a Canadian duo that selectively mixes female vocals (think Au Revoir Simone), at least on select tunes like “Dancer”, with male ones so versatile they defy any one (or two, for that mater) classification. Their instrumentation boasts one on percussion and one on keytar. Heart Attack, their debut release on Paper Bag Records was released late last month.

The band is very much like the duo at the end of Flight Of The Conchords [Season 1], with the exception that Woodhands actually writes good hype songs. The duo is male (despite the statement above), and the majority of songs focus on male vocals. Perhaps a better statement would be they mix nerd and hype for a sound that’s… well… dorky but cool.

To give you a better idea of their crowd, they’ve played with Crystal Castles and remixed Sally Shapiro. Songs like “I Can’t See Straight”, single “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting”, and “Under Attack” are among their more accessible tunes—and thus, the higher points—on Heart Attack. Even slower tunes contain unique powers; the sensual “Straighten The Curtain” is a prime example.

Listening to the album again, it’s no surprise they’ve played with Crystal Castles; they’d be the perfect opener. You can hear for yourself: “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting” is available for stream and download below.

Woodhands: I Wasn’t Made For Fighting [mp3]