321 : Tanlines

Troublewazzawazzalone. We love happy songs about sad stuff, especially when those happy songs allow us to use words like calypsophisticated. Or socadelic. Tropicool? That’s enough. Tanlines are two dudes from Brooklyn whose music is so bright and shiny, staring at it will make you sneeze (but only if you are awesome enough to have ACHOO syndrome). We spoke to Jesse Cohen from the band about Stalin and Robert Palmer.

Tanlines – Real Life (Basic Needs Remix) [mp3] [Buy]

1. “Eric was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I was born in College Park, Maryland.

2. “I was told recently that the word ‘set’ has the most definitions in the English language.

3. “Napoleon was an inch taller than Stalin.”

1.“Robert Palmer – Johnny and Mary. I’ve been listening to this song quite a bit for a little while now. I don’t know if this is a very famous song that I’ve heard passively most of my life or if it is just an excellent song that sounds instantly familiar, which I heard for the first time recently. There’s something in the vibe here that I would like to capture for Tanlines.”

Robert Palmer – Johnny & Mary

2.“Bad Brains – I Against I. One of my favorite bands ever… playing live in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1987. I actually bought a bootleg VHS copy of this whole concert the first time I visited New York.”

Bad Brains – I Against I (Live in Florida, 1987)

1. “I’m hoping someone brings me to the Specials reunion show on 4/20 in New York.”

Tanlines’ awesome Settings EP is out now on True Panther Sounds.

01.03.10.