20150106

BANDIT

So last fall I became aware of the band Bandit, fronted by Angela Plake. In 3-4 months time, they have become my newest favorite band. I cannot remember the last time I have been so excited about a DEBUT album. I am going to try to not fill this post with so many links that you could be overwhelmed, but I would also like to provide some history since it took me some time to piece it all together.

(Photo by michelvanlennonphoto.tumblr.com)

Chronologically, Angela Plake as a singer first popped up on the map providing guest vocals on a 2010 album from the hardcore band The Chariot. Track 3 on the heavy, chaotic album One Wing is primarily Plake singing, and it is far from heavy or chaotic. You can listen to The Chariot album and that song here, and it is is also free on Amazon Prime.

Then in January of 2013 (crazily two full years ago) a video came online which was a documentary of a The Chariot show in Nashville. The soundtrack for that video is a demo acoustic recording by Plake called "Dragon."

About a year after that in December of 2013, a YouTube video came online which I assume was most people's first chance to hear not Plake the solo acoustic artist, but the front-woman of a great rock band:



In March of 2014 Plake launched a Kickstarter to fund a new EP. 233 backers and a little more than $8,000 later she was on her way to what is going to Bandit's debut album, releasing on January 20. (Sad I missed out on that Kickstarter by the way, as I have stated previously I would have pledged in a heartbeat).

I first became aware of Bandit when Broken Circles Records signed them last September; they are one of my favorite indie vinyl labels. (This is how I became aware of Broken Circles a few years ago.) Bandit continued to debut new tracks over the past few months and I can't get enough.

Then today NPR debuted another new track, which is UNBELIEVABLE and definitely the best thing I have ever heard from Plake. I had bookmarked the Broken Circles pre-order page in December, and moments ago I ordered Of Life on "opaque blue in clear" vinyl.

If you aren't yet convinced, go to the pre-order page and listen to 4 songs from the record, including a haunting cover of the Pixies song "Where is my Mind?" (Interestingly, Nada Surf also has a fun cover of this track).