Sunday, August 25, 2013

Killer Tracks... Now & Then edition: Speedy Ortiz vs. Helium

I don't know why, but it seems that most of the exciting, new music I'm discovering lately shares a strong bond with some of my '90s obsessions. So, after our recent Waxahatchee vs. Liz Phair friendly "showdown", here's another one: Speedy Ortiz vs. Helium!

Northampton, Massachusetts indie rockers Speedy Ortiz have been recently gaining rave reviews for their debut album "Major Arcana", and rightly so. Their sound brings together some of the finer elements of '80s and '90s guitar rock, drawing inspiration from the likes of Pavement, Sebadoh, Liz Phair and, of course, fellow Massachusetts rockers Helium, whose beloved 1995 single "Pat's Trick" was one of the first tunes to pop into my head while listening to Speedy Ortiz's excellent "Tiger Tank", the first single off their album.

You can download a free mp3 of "Tiger Tank" here, while below we have the official videos for the two singles that may have an 18 year gap between them, but they do share the same adventurous, noise-pop spirit:

Speedy Ortiz - Tiger Tank

Helium - Pat's Trick

For a deeper insight into Speedy Ortiz's influences, here's a tribute mixtape they've made to the Massachusetts scene, with songs ranging from 1966 to 2012 from their local heroes that include Folk Implosion, Sebadoh, Swirlies, Come, Blake Babies, Helium and many more (including Bell Biv Devoe!):

2 comments:

jestoon said...

to me, Tiger Tank sounds exactly like Superball, and not that much like Pat's Trick. (Just my opinion though)

ody said...

Also a great tune... Speedy Ortiz are on the right path!