White Denim - Fits

White Denim
Fits
(2009, Full Time Hobby)
RIYL = Tolchock Trio, Portugal. The Man, Tapes n’ Tapes

White Denim have made haste and quickly followed up their massively enjoyable debut with their sophmore effort, Fits. Not a whole heap has changed since last year, but that isn't a bad thing. On Fits what we have is another series of bombastic rock n’ roll gems that are as fun as they are energetic. I’m tempted to just cut it off right there. What else is there to know? I think White Denim suffers from some abnormally high levels of adoration in different pockets of the world wide web (I’m looking at you GvB) which has caused a bit of backlash from lotsa people who might really enjoy the bands frantic, glorious rock chops. But I suppose that is nothing terribly new. Seems like you can’t say a single nice word about a band without the hype police coming to town to rain on the parade (if a single nice word can be considered a parade). Oh well, it’s at the loss of those who love to hate, because I love White Denim and I don’t even live in Texas! And I don’t even particularly like Texas. As far as states go, Texas is pretty low on my list (this may have been influenced by a poor experience at Six Flags in Houston). But whatever side of Texas that inspires the raucous, retro-inspired-but-still-modern-feeling rock that is White Denim, I’m all for it. I may have mentioned this when I wrote up Workout Holiday, but I saw White Denim open for Tapes n' Tapes and it was one of the most fantastic rock sets I’ve ever witnessed. There was absolutely nothing I could do to keep myself from nodding my head ridiculously to their aural onslaught. It was embarrassing, but in the best way. Tapes n’ Tapes on the other hand…well, I better not get into that again. Fits took me a little longer to really grasp than Workout Holiday did. It definitely doesn’t have all of the powerful hooks that were on their debut, but that doesn’t make it any less muscular and resilient. It kind of feels the way At Mount Zoomer feels to Apologies to the Queen Mary, if you can follow that line of thinking. Both great, but a little bit different in terms of accessibility. Not too much, just a little. Well, I’ll stop belaboring this. I love these guys for what they add to indie rock. There isn’t very many bands of this caliber perusing this type of music and am grateful that I have Fits to fill the gap.

-Thistle

White Denim - Workout Holiday

White Denim
Workout Holiday
(2008, Full Time Hobby)
RIYL = Tiger Bear Wolf, Women, rock n’ roll

Let's not beat around the bush. White Denim is probably one of the most overly hyped yet still underrated bands in indie rock. I don’t get it. Why is there not more people jumping on the bandwagon? Is it because their hometown blog, GorillaVsBear, seems a little too intent on proclaiming the band’s genius to the world? I always thought there must be some kind of pay relationship going on there, but then I buckled down and finally listened to Workout Holiday (one of two full length albums released last year that basically equate to the same thing, give or take a couple songs) and promptly acknowledged that these guys are the real deal. My interest was actually peaked last year after seeing the band open for the yawn-worthy Tapes n’ Tapes. The energy these guys brought to the show was absolutely awesome and more than made up for the lack thereof from the headliners. Workout Holiday carries that same live energy into the studio/garage/bedroom. The album is simply bursting sweaty grit-filled enthusiasm that is inescapable. It’s simply consuming. Before you know you’re neck will be sore from all the head bobbing, your arms sore from air guitaring and your legs will be sore from dancing to this manic concoction. Really, White Denim deserves to be uttered in the same breath as indie rock luminaries like Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio; they’re of that class. The more I listen to this the more I am addicted. Every instrument is strong here: thick, fuzzy bass lines, intertwining guitars lines and riffs, inventive drumming; its just great rock. Soulful in parts, bluesy, yet filled with a snicker and a snarl to induce emphatic, spastic Rock Bandisms (seriously, what’s the point of playing rock band if not to act like a total idiot?). All and all, White Denim have set themselves up for success. There is no way these guys can stay subterranean for long; in fact, it’s only a matter of how long it takes them to record a follow up to Workout Holiday.

-Mr. Thistle