Nomadic Thoughts

Perhaps the most fitting band for me to like is …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (or, “Trail of Dead” for short). Intriguing name, indeed. Formed in late 1994 in my home state of Texas, one would expect Trail of Dead to be some sort of crazy thrash metal band who worships Dimebag Darrel and Ozzy (when he used to bite the heads of off bats). Instead, Trail of Dead is one of the most artistically talented bands to emerge in the past decade and have, among other things, become the quintessential indie rock band. So why are they so fitting for me personally? Because much of their stage persona is derived from the ancient Maya civilization (note they formed well before Apocalypto was a glint of blood in Mel Gibson’s eye). Legend has it that the band’s name comes from a Maya ritual chant. Like Apocalypto, there’s little about Trail of Dead that is true ancient Maya, but the imagery and artwork is engrossing and adds to the pseudo-mystery of the band. At least they don’t focus on blood or dress like Maya kings.

One of the more famous indie bands to appropriate historical imagery is The Decemberists. Their name is a variation of that given to the 19th century political uprising in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Portland-based band even dresses like historical figures for photo shoots. It’s hard to get a firm grasp on one particular historical period: their music and lyrics have to do with 19th Century Russia, Civil War-era America, and almost everything in between. Their music is good, their lyrics read like a novel, and they make catchy, happy (sometimes sad) pure indie rock music.

The Good, the Bad, and the Queen is a band that I only found out about today and prompted me to write this post in the first place. I don’t know too much about them yet but their sound is great and they are made up of former members of really good bands. As a result, they are undoubtedly stuck with the questionable label of “side project.” The band consists of Damon Albarn of Blur, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, the former guitarist from the Verve Simon Tong, and according to Wikipedia an Afrobeat pioneer named Tony Allen. As they’re still new to me, I’m not completely sure of their use of history, but the name and album art (pictured) is clearly reminiscent of a historical period.

Joanna Newsom is a young musician from California that plays the harp, piano, and harpsichord and offers up her own brand of singing. Yes, her singing style is truly unique and I’ve never heard anything like it, but her music is mind blowing in its scope and sincerity. It’s emotional, beautiful, heartbreaking at times, and uplifting at others. Newsom’s connection to history comes from the classical feel of her music and the artwork of her latest album, the 5-song LP Ys. This is not an easy album to digest if you’re used to pop music that you hear on the radio. It’s even a bit difficult to those in to weird indie music, but after a few listens I was hooked and it became one of my favorite albums to relax to before going to bed.