It’s bands like Desmond and the Tutus that make me glad that I run a music blog. Without this blog I never would have found out about them. Nor would I be as educated on famous South African clerics. The South African quartet takes their name from the Nobel Peace Prize, Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, and Ghandi Peace Prize winning Cleric who became the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. He was a staunch opponent of apartheid. Fun cultural references like that in band titles are always welcome.
On to the music though, Desmond and the Tutus’ sound is something like The Modern Lovers and Art Brut playing some African style bass. If you like the poly-rhythms of Vampire Weekend, chances are you’ll enjoy this band as well. I found myself listening through each song on their album “Tuckshop” and thinking to myself “They’ve got my number! but how?”, because there is a song on here about loving synthesizers and wearing New Order t-shirts, “German Modern”, and a song about competitive swimming, “Saggy Bottom Speedo Swimmer”, which both speak to me because I am both a connoisseur of synthesizers and a competitive swimmer. It’s not just that they’re speaking to me though, each song has such vitality and personality that it’s sure to win you over. Give them a try. They’re my new favorite South African band… of course before I heard them I didn’t know any South African bands… but that doesn’t make them any less awesome. For real.
Desmond and the Tutus – Peter
Desmond and the Tutus – German Modern
Desmond and the Tutus Myspace
