Dear Cyn,
I moved to the Twin Cities from the east coast a few months ago, and I’ve just started dating a very sexy, slightly older woman who’s so fanatically into the local music scene — she even took literally Tulip Sweet’s musical recommendation to “Tattoo My Name on Yer Ass”—not to mention also tattooing the name of Craig Finn’s band LIFTR PULLR on her knuckles!
I want to satisfy her compulsive urge for local music especially at the most intimate moments, but I’m still a stranger here. Do you have any recommendations for Minnesota music to spin her into my arms?
Thanks—
Horny Hipster Out of NYC
Hi HHONYC—
Well, you sound aware enough to know some of our local best who’ve made it to your neck of the woods. Tulip Sweet? The Hold Steady? Yes, why wouldn’t she want to hear the siren songs of NYC? Try the Quavers and Lit by Your Phone for starters. For something wilder, to get you all excited, there’s always Gogol Bordello: you could dance like crazy gypsy punks and tear your clothes off and throw them at each other (after you’ve seen the film Filth and Wisdom)! Play “Now I’m a Porn Star” with each other. That should put you in the mood for raunchy fun.
But, you asked about local. These days, it’s all about strings, and often, strangely enough, the accordion. Seriously. If you’re looking to tame her down and lure her in, I’d play some dark, orchestral music such as Devotchka, Spaghetti Western String Company, and A Whisper in the Noise. The moody melodrama of To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie will take you both to new realms. Wanna experience feeling like you’re on psychedelics without the drugs? Try Magic Castles.
Hot and steamy female vocalists include (but are not limited to) Dessa of Doomtree—especially as accompanied by Jesse Greene on violin—sultry songstress Joanna James and her song “Desire,” and Haley Bonar. The stark sorrowful songs of Bon Iver will make her want to cuddle and you can go from there.
Wanna get funky? Shake your “Babymaker” to the geekfunk of Dance Band. Play her really cool local hip-hop—for example, Heiruspecs. Both bands have new CDs being released in the next two months: Dance Band at the Cedar Cultural Center on November 21 and Heiruspecs at First Avenue on December 13. If you take her to those cool shows, who knows how she might express her gratitude?
With music like this, she’ll surely be possessed—as Tulip Sweet sings—by the demon in your bed.
Sincerely,
Cyn
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