I need to know what this late-90s indiepop song is before it burns a hole in my skull.
July 2, 2011 5:35 PM Subscribe
Okay Metafilter, name this song: an obnoxiously bleepy, keyboard-heavy indie pop song from around 1998/1999 with a mostly deadpan, slightly sardonic female singer (and male backup vocals for the chorus).
Lyric snippets I recall include "I got [my music?] and a part-time job" and "we'll make our designs artistic!" and the chorus is basically "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah," just like little kids taunting each other on the playground. I almost certainly heard this on the late, lamented indiepopradio back in the day, but as all evidence of that site (and indeed most things about the indie scene from the late 90s) has been wiped clean from the internet, I'm left with little recourse. Help!
Oh, and just to shoot down some obvious ones: it's not Mocket (though I love them too) and it's not Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre. The song I'm thinking of is a lot more electronic (and a bit more poppy) than the former, and not as theatrical or punk as the latter's "Brittle Women." (And it's definitely not italo disco, like Glass Candy eventually turned into.)
Lyric snippets I recall include "I got [my music?] and a part-time job" and "we'll make our designs artistic!" and the chorus is basically "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah," just like little kids taunting each other on the playground. I almost certainly heard this on the late, lamented indiepopradio back in the day, but as all evidence of that site (and indeed most things about the indie scene from the late 90s) has been wiped clean from the internet, I'm left with little recourse. Help!
Oh, and just to shoot down some obvious ones: it's not Mocket (though I love them too) and it's not Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre. The song I'm thinking of is a lot more electronic (and a bit more poppy) than the former, and not as theatrical or punk as the latter's "Brittle Women." (And it's definitely not italo disco, like Glass Candy eventually turned into.)
Maybe the "Hed Boys Seka Remix" of Shampoo's cover of I Know What Boys Like? (Sorry, couldn't find a youtube.) That was 1996. Not obnoxiously bleepy, but it matches the time frame and singers and "nyah nyah nyah" (Original by Shampoo)
This is a cover of it that IS kinda bleepy but the time frame is wrong
posted by agress at 8:44 PM on July 2, 2011
This is a cover of it that IS kinda bleepy but the time frame is wrong
posted by agress at 8:44 PM on July 2, 2011
Response by poster: Not any of the above so far. From what I remember, it's entirely keyboards and synths, no guitars. Might be Pacific Northwest in origin, since a lot of the stuff they played on indiepopradio was Portland/Olympia stuff. The lyrics definitely did not include the phrase "I know what boys like," either. The aesthetic was very much late-90s DIY indie pop, and not like Sebadoh "hey we had a hit single on the radio" level of indie either—my guess is it was several levels below that.
I feel like if I just saw a playlist or a list of bands or something from the era, I'd spot the band I was looking for, but alas. I'll see if I can remember more details.
posted by chrominance at 1:35 AM on July 3, 2011
I feel like if I just saw a playlist or a list of bands or something from the era, I'd spot the band I was looking for, but alas. I'll see if I can remember more details.
posted by chrominance at 1:35 AM on July 3, 2011
Or at least your description makes me think of Who Took The Bomp? although it's probably not exactly the song you're looking for.
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:48 PM on July 3, 2011
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 2:48 PM on July 3, 2011
Response by poster: Le Tigre's closer. We're definitely talking about the same musical neighbourhood. But I know most of Le Tigre's stuff and it's definitely not them, either (nor is it Julie Ruin, the Le Tigre predecessor, though I love that as well). What I'm thinking of is less riot grrl, more bratty art college kids. Also, there were male vocals on the chorus and during the bridge.
posted by chrominance at 7:18 PM on July 3, 2011
posted by chrominance at 7:18 PM on July 3, 2011
Response by poster: In a desperate bid to figure out what the hell this song is, I've composed the first few bars (to the best of my knowledge): http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/2af19ceb92821a968dc367a7d6374539c55ba5cf
Imagine that with bleepy synths instead of a piano and loud, crashy, possibly electronic drums. This basic refrain repeats over the entire song, save for the bridge. My guess is if we can't figure it out from this, the identity of this song is destined to remain forever lost to the sands of time.
posted by chrominance at 7:51 PM on July 3, 2011
Imagine that with bleepy synths instead of a piano and loud, crashy, possibly electronic drums. This basic refrain repeats over the entire song, save for the bridge. My guess is if we can't figure it out from this, the identity of this song is destined to remain forever lost to the sands of time.
posted by chrominance at 7:51 PM on July 3, 2011
Best answer: OH GOD YES I FOUND IT. "Art Loft Rebel" by Winterbrief. Literally found by meticulously searching all the fake keywords on a spam site designed to catch incoming indie pop searches. I feel like I just dug through someone's garbage.
posted by chrominance at 8:49 PM on July 3, 2011
posted by chrominance at 8:49 PM on July 3, 2011
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posted by kitty teeth at 6:05 PM on July 2, 2011