Head of Femur

If you like Bright Eyes and/or Neutral Milk Hotel, but like being happy more, then Head of Femur is the band for you. I picked up their sadly overlooked second album a couple weeks ago, and it blew me away. The band is currently working on a new album without a label; be on the lookout for it to become the next big thing.

There is so much packed into these 45 minutes that there's something new revealed on each listen. Something like 30 musicians are credited in the liner notes, to give you an idea of the sonic scope of this thing. Hysterical Stars is almost manic at times, jumping from one song right into the next without hesitation. But just when the wall of sound seems in danger of collapsing, the band segues into smooth, gentle melodies and a beautiful soothing chorus.

One of the bright spots is "The Sausage Canoe" (unfairly maligned by Pitchfork as "ponderous, nonsensical, and ultimately annoying") which rivals the greatness of any novelty song by They Might Be Giants for sheer absurdity.

They have a ton of mp3s available on their official site. Especially good are the first two tracks, "Elliot Gould Is In California Split" and "Ringodom or Proctor." You can also stream the whole album on an old label site.

Really, you should just go out and pick up a copy for yourself. It's not an album one would be apt to call "accessible," so there are bound to be copies in the used bin at record stores all over, or you can pick it up cheaply at Amazon. It's worth paying the four bucks or so; you can even get the added entertainment of wondering just who in the hell thought pink and yellow was a good choice for the liner notes. Probably the same guy that pushed for the inclusion of "The Sausage Canoe."

Listen:
Head of Femur - Oh You're Blue
Head of Femur - The Sausage Canoe

Buy Hysterical Stars