Fake Your Own Death

Man, when I first moved to San Francisco I hated the music scene here. That isn’t to say there weren’t any good bands running around town (punk was certainly alive and well), but I really couldn’t stand any of the indie acts that were filling up some of my favorite venues. Most of it was just too “artsy” for me. I mean, I’m a pretty average dude. I like beer, I watch football, I enjoy a nice bubble bath with violet scented candles and a glass of champagne just like all dudes out there. So, with that in mind, I just never really wrapped my head around some of these cats that were “tearing up” the stage at the annual Noise Pop festival here in town. But this site isn’t about music we don’t like, ya know? You’re probably going, “Come on, Skeeter…get to it” Whoa…slow down kids. For me, at some point in the last year or so, the music landscape in San Francisco started to shift. Great bands started popping up left and right. Ride the Blinds, Leopold and His Fiction, Dead to Me and Nothington just to name a few (some, like RTB and LAHF were around for a while). But man, this act I’m going to tell you about tonight, just might take the whole “new local music kingpin” cake.

See, I’m not about to just talk about any random San Francisco act right now. I’m going to let you in on my very favorite new band. One that just so happened to put out a new record a few weeks ago. Boom! Did you feel that? That was your brain slamming into your skull. Feels kinda good, doesn’t it? It’s cool, I’ll wait…do it again…

So who is this terribly awesome band that I’m speaking about but have yet to mention. Unless you’re a complete dummy you’ve probably already read my headline to the post, but in case you breathe from your mouth I’ll tell you. Fake Your Own Death is a new act based right here in San Francisco and I feel pretty cool because I caught their very first show. My buddy Chuck took me to see a band called Hockey at Bottom of the Hill a few months ago. I checked out the openers and went solely to hear this band play. See, they sounded so freakin’ cool. A mix of Love and Rockets, Joy Division and The National, with biting lyrics and a sonic wall of sound. Okay enough cliches, but if you like those bands then you’re getting the idea of the music these dudes create. Anyway, I saw, they rocked, the rest is history. It appears as though I’m not the only guy who is totally jacked on them because they are playing just about every club in town, headlining gigs and receiving a bunch of awesome press. Oh yeah, and their new record totally smokes…booya

Fake Your Own Death’s 8-song debut is what I can only describe as an unpretentious Interpol record. The ominous opener and lead single “Mouth to Speak” feels like something you’d listen to on a late night drive with your headlights off. Ill-advised sure, but as the song says “you’re a rock star baby” so go ahead. I love the lyric “Open my mouth to speak but it’s all technology”. A sign of the times? Maybe. I just say it’s plain awesome. You know, I swim in the shallow end people. I’ll let you smarter folk decipher the true meaning. - Front Porch Musings