Apart from his sterling work as frontman for rock stalwarts Spoon, Britt Daniel “wanted to try some new things and go some places I hadn’t gone before.” So he teamed up with Wolf Parade guitarist Dan Boeckner and New Bomb Turks drummer Sam Brown to form Divine Fits. Joined by Alex Fischel on keys, the foursome crafted A Thing Called Divine Fits, which Rolling Stone calls “their psychedelic, synth-heavy LP.” Here, the band plays “Civilian Stripes” exclusively for The Bowery Presents Live channel on YouTube.
How often have you had a conversation with someone at a concert about doing something in the future that never came to fruition? Fortunately, when Spoon frontman Britt Daniel ran into Wolf Parade guitarist Dan Boeckner at a show, their discussion of forming a band together didn’t fall by the wayside. Sure, it took a little bit of time, but the payoff—joining together with New Bomb Turks drummer Sam Brown to form Divine Fits—was more than worth it. With the help of Alex Fischel on keys, the trio put out an album, the very well-received A Thing Called Divine Fits (stream it below), in late August. And despite this seeming like it could be a one-off experience, Pitchfork says Bockener and Daniel say it’s an ongoing project “and rock fans should hope they stick to their promise.” But even if they don’t, you can still see Divine Fits (above, playing “My Love Is Real” for Studio Q) at Webster Hall on Sunday.
Considering their first-ever show was opening for Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade got off to an auspicious start. On the Montreal quartet’s initial tour they recorded and released a self-titled EP. These guys are prolific, so not too much later, another EP, also self-titled, emerged before Wolf Parade (above, playing “Language City” at the Great Wide Open Festival) headed to Portland, Ore., to record with Isaac Brock, who is not only the frontman of Modest Mouse, but also an A&R rep for Sub Pop Records. And so where post-punk and indie rock collided, a third EP (you can probably guess the title) was born before the band’s first LP, the terrific Apologies to the Queen Mary, quickly followed. This past June, the well-received Expo 86 came out, and Wolf Parade comes to The Wellmont Theatre next Wednesday. You should, too.
