At what point does a group like Eagles of Death Metal stop being ironic? More important, what’s our threshold, as fans, for this? How long can the joke carry on?

I know. Lots of questions. See, this tears at me because I really like Josh Homme. Some might say I have a “man-crush” on him. … Oh, wait. I think I’ve said that.

Anyway, I was pondering this after listening to this new Eagles track. I really am a big fan of Queens of the Stone Age, so my tendency is to give Eagles a free pass. But, at some point, we have to take this seriously, right? When does this all just become too patronizing? We spend money. Is it a joke? Is it serious? Sometimes I can’t really tell.

Because I’ll tell you one thing: I’m tired of the ironic T-shirt trend. So are Eagles of Death Metal the ironic T-shirts of rock? Death Metal … satan hand sign … yeah, it’s funny. Sort of.

That said, the music is pretty damn good. So, again, where does that leave us?

Eagles of Death Metal | Don’t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)

I’m cheating a little bit today: I posted on Silversun Pickups last week during my stint as house guest at Gorilla vs. Bear. The problem is, I like them so much that I wanted to represent at my own site.

The great KEXP, through its song of the day podcast, introduced me to the band, a quartet from Los Angeles named after a liquor store on Sunset Boulevard. (I shall do my best to visit this Silversun Liquors when I’m in LA next week.) As I said in the GvsB post, I do believe we’re in the midst of a shoegazer revival. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier about that. Bands like Hum and Catherine Wheel were (are) some of my favorites that would fall under that category, loosely defined by a sprawling sound but still with melodies you can grab onto. Comparisons to Smashing Pumpkins wouldn’t be too far off the mark either.

Silversun released the EP Pikul (available at iTunes) last year on Dangerbird Records and a much-anticipated (by me) full-length should arrive in 2006.

Silversun also is part of an affiliation of bands known as The Ship, which includes the very cool Earlimart and So Much Silence favorite (like favorite) Radar Bros.

Silversun on MySpace.
The Ship on MySpace.

Silversun Pickups | Kissing Families
Silversun Pickups | Lazy Eye (from KEXP in-studio)

We went to the Rhythm Room last night to see Band of Horses. I must be late on the draw: These guys are stupendous. I bought their album, Everything All the Time, on iTunes yesterday and I’ve already listened to it a good two or three times. (I didn’t take any pics of the show … bad blogger, bad!)

Seriously, with the Shins, Rogue Wave and Band of Horses, Sub Pop has the market cornered on a great new sound. (Or maybe it’s a revival?) Band of Horses’ open-ended, three-chord power is stunning and has an absolute grip on me. I see the Shins-meets-My Morning Jacket comparisons. But Bands brings something else: a bigger, more aggressive approach.

On stage, the sound was inspired and, frankly, mesmerizing. Our Swords, with two bass guitars and a pulsating drum beat, was a highlight of the show. That is, until they closed with the amazing Funeral. There’s something about frontman Ben Bridwell’s upper-register vocals underpinned by those sprawling guitars and convincing drums.

Listen. It’s my favorite of the year so far.

Band of Horses | Funeral

So, Annie (that’s the wife, y’all) and I are listening to my newest fave Figurines (previous post) and I keep telling her, “Think Built to Spill.” Then she says, “You know who they sound like? … Pinehurst Kids.” Oh, snap! She’s right.

Back in 1999, when emo was all the rage, I was digging on the Pinehurst Kids, a three-piece emo/punk/pop/whatever outfit from Portland, Ore. The group released three full-length albums, but I the only one I own is Viewmaster, a compact and powerful piece of greatness. It’s one of those albums that holds nostalgic value – I can instantly attach a time in my life to the music – but it’s also just a really solid CD.

And as I’m listening to Viewmaster now and digging up information on the Internet, it appears the group is making some sort of comeback, which is great. The Pinehurst Kids were never so sappy and emo that you’d write them off as soft; there was a punk edge to it that kept the emotion a little more real.

Visit Pinehurst Kids on MySpace. The band is also offering some MP3s here, but I’m going to bust off a few tracks from Viewmaster.

Pinehurst Kids | Flicker
Pinehurst Kids | Lumper
Pinehurst Kids | Pretty Whistle

Also …
I think Annie and I will be checking out Band of Horses tonight at Rhythm Room in Phoenix. Can anyone confirm or deny they put on a good show?

And we have a winner in the Ian Love CD giveaway. As chosen by Ian himself, Tim at People of Paper won with his submission of two words to describe the cover art on Ian’s self-titled debut. His words were: “tender traveller.” Congrats, Tim. And thanks to everyone who offered their thoughts. I made Ian decide so I wouldn’t have to! (And, Tim, we’ll be in touch!)

Rare are the times I jump into an album by a band I’ve never heard of with very high expectations. Helps keep disappointment to a minimum.

Well, Figurines are proving to be the exception. The four-piece outfit from Denmark is winning me over with bright guitars and singer Christian Hjelm’s somewhat off-key (not quite Clap Your Hands off-key) yet charming vocals.

The group’s influences – Pavement, Built to Spill, Neil Young – are all pretty clear. But the rhythms and melodies are a little more taut in the hands of Figurines. At times, chord progressions move quickly; think Built to Spill on Red Bull.

Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke is a fan. And I’ll be damned if I just missed Figurines on KEXP the other day.

Buy Skeleton at Amazon. Check out the group’s media and downloads page for more goodies.

Figurines | Silver Ponds
Figurines | Rivalry