No Hits 6.20.05

Persimmon Tree (mp3) – Midnight Movies

Arty, cinematic, oddly enchanting, definitely creepy, Persimmon Tree by L.A. trio Midnight Movies sounds like a Clinic song interpreted by Nico. This isn’t your usual sunny SoCal pop—more like the sonic landscape of the Black Dahlia and Raymond Chandler. The band’s guitar/keyboards/drums setup is also a slight deviation from the norm: Olivier is the lead vocalist and drummer. (Offhand, I can’t even think of bands with drummers who usually sing lead vocals—though I’m sure there are a few.) MM’s getting plenty of attention in their hometown, including a nod from LA Weekly for best pop/rock band. Their debut album is on Emperor Norton.

Midnight Movies actually reminds me quite a bit of Helium, though at their peak in the mid-90s Helium was way weirder and more innovative than Midnight Movies. Some Helium work hasn’t aged well—particularly after Mary Timony started singing about dragons and rainbows—but the Pirate Prude EP is still brilliant. Funny thing, I found Pirate Prude so abrasive and off-putting the first time, I sold the CD back, then ended up buying it again a year later and loving it.

Looks like it's out of print, so I’m not going to feel guilty about posting several tracks.

Baby Vampire Made Me (mp3) – Helium

XXX (mp3) – Helium

I’ll Get You, I Mean It (mp3) – Helium

Key lyrics from XXX:

Now I feel good, I feel like candy,
Go out on the street I'm gonna make some money.
That was just a joke about the money,
You're gonna pay me with your life.