Everyone knows how embarrassing it can be to flip through old photo albums. From terrible haircuts to outdated clothes, we've all had a few phases we would rather forget.
For musicians, the embarrassment of those early experiments is especially acute. Not only are some of those early musical endeavours artistically questionable, they are frequently public and, thanks to the internet, available for the entire world to hear.
Here is Exclaim!'s list of the top ten musicians with dubious early projects. They're ordered from least to most surprising -- in some cases we can hardly believe our eyes (and ears). But be warned: you may never see your favourite musicians in the same light again.
Ten Musicians with Dubious Early Projects:
10. Courtney Taylor-Taylor (the Dandy Warhols): The Beauty Stab
The Dandy Warhols have reinvented their sound several times throughout their career, shifting between shoegaze, indie rock and electronic pop. Singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor's most surprising stylistic turn actually took place before he formed the Dandy Warhols, when he played drums for the cheeseball glam rock outfit the Beauty Stab. Check out video for the single "Do You Wanna Love Me (YEAH)," and see if you can spy the star in his long-haired days.
9. Ethan Kath (Crystal Castles): Kill Cheerleader
Prior to donning a hoodie and a disaffected stare as one half of Crystal Castles, Ethan Kath played bass for the sleazy rock outfit Kill Cheerleader. He's tried to put this association behind him, even going so far as to change his stage name (he was previously known as Ethan Deth and born Claudio Palmieri). Apparently playing Mötley Crüe-influenced metal doesn't make you look too good in indie circles. Headbang to "Deathboy" below and get more info on this one here.
8. Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells): Rubyblue
These days, Alexis Krauss kicks up a glorious racket as the singer of the much-buzzed noise pop duo Sleigh Bells. Before she discovered her love of fuzz, however, she belonged to a failed teenybopper pop outfit called Rubyblue. Listen to the track "Fallen for You" below, and try to imagine that it's twice as loud, bolstered by 808s and and soaked in face-melting distortion.
7. No Joy: Bad Flirt
With No Joy, Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd have shared bills with Best Coast, Wavves and Vivian Girls. Not so long ago, however, the Montreal shoegazers were rubbing shoulders with far less credible stars: in 2007, their group Bad Flirt won a battle of the bands contest held by the Olsen Twins. The shameless Metric knock-off "Hiroshima, Mon Frere" is below.
Bad Flirt-Hiroshima, Mon Frere by brienta
6. Rivers Cuomo (Weezer): Avant Garde
Weezer have occasionally dabbled in hard rock and metal (most notably on 2002's Maladroit), but these forays have always been tempered by ultra-poppy hooks and healthy dose of irony. This wasn't always the case: frontman Rivers Cuomo was previously a member of the progressive metal outfit Avant Garde. We all saw Cuomo's meticulously teased mullet on the cover of his solo compilation Alone II; the musical equivalent of that hairdo is "Tongue of Fire," which you can hear below.
5. Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast): Bethany Sharayah
Best Coast's pop songs are a little on the cheesy side, and Bethany Cosentino's melancholic lyrics about boys are a big part of what we love about last year's Crazy for You. She went too far with the corniness, however, when she performed as a solo singer-songwriter under the name Bethany Sharayah. Cosentino has recently tweeted about her love of Sheryl Crow; you can hear that influence in action over at PureVolume and Bethany Sharayah's MySpace.
4. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): Bad Radio
Pearl Jam have achieved and maintained mainstream success despite fearlessly anti-commercial pursuits like shunning music videos and boycotting Ticketmaster. Singer Eddie Vedder didn't always have credibility, however. As the frontman of his former band, Bad Radio, Vedder used to growl and toss his hair while doing a reprehensible impression of Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis. "Do the Evolution" indeed.
3. Björk: Björk
When Björk titled her 1993 LP Debut, she wasn't being entirely honest. In 1977, she released an album simply called Björk. She had only recently turned 12 years old, so it's no surprise that the music sounds a little juvenile. Björk has always been a little strange, but these early tracks are possibly even weirder than the ones that have since made her one of the world's most beloved songwriters. Just listen to this shrill, unpalatable "Álfur Út Úr Hól," which is an Icelandic-language cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill." Yikes.
2. Trent Reznor: Option 30
Whether he's masterminding Nine Inch Nails, performing alongside his wife in How to Destroy Angels, or penning soundtracks, Trent Reznor specializes in dark and unsettling sounds. There's nothing creepy, however, about watching him dance like a goofball while fronting his early new wave band Option 30 (pictured above). Below, you can see him live up to the title of Joe Jackson's "Look Sharp!" Sweet moves, Trent.
1. Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire): Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore
Régine Chassagne is now a core member of the Grammy Award-winning, Billboard chart-topping, mega-famous Montreal rock crew Arcade Fire. But before that, she played with a faux-medieval band called Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore (which translates as "Jugglers of the Mandrake"). See this video for the song "A L'Entrada Del Tens Clar," which shows Chassagne singing and dancing to an irritating flute jig while dressed in historical garb. The best part? The band are still active, although Chassagne is no longer a member.
For musicians, the embarrassment of those early experiments is especially acute. Not only are some of those early musical endeavours artistically questionable, they are frequently public and, thanks to the internet, available for the entire world to hear.
Here is Exclaim!'s list of the top ten musicians with dubious early projects. They're ordered from least to most surprising -- in some cases we can hardly believe our eyes (and ears). But be warned: you may never see your favourite musicians in the same light again.
Ten Musicians with Dubious Early Projects:
10. Courtney Taylor-Taylor (the Dandy Warhols): The Beauty Stab
The Dandy Warhols have reinvented their sound several times throughout their career, shifting between shoegaze, indie rock and electronic pop. Singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor's most surprising stylistic turn actually took place before he formed the Dandy Warhols, when he played drums for the cheeseball glam rock outfit the Beauty Stab. Check out video for the single "Do You Wanna Love Me (YEAH)," and see if you can spy the star in his long-haired days.
9. Ethan Kath (Crystal Castles): Kill Cheerleader
Prior to donning a hoodie and a disaffected stare as one half of Crystal Castles, Ethan Kath played bass for the sleazy rock outfit Kill Cheerleader. He's tried to put this association behind him, even going so far as to change his stage name (he was previously known as Ethan Deth and born Claudio Palmieri). Apparently playing Mötley Crüe-influenced metal doesn't make you look too good in indie circles. Headbang to "Deathboy" below and get more info on this one here.
8. Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells): Rubyblue
These days, Alexis Krauss kicks up a glorious racket as the singer of the much-buzzed noise pop duo Sleigh Bells. Before she discovered her love of fuzz, however, she belonged to a failed teenybopper pop outfit called Rubyblue. Listen to the track "Fallen for You" below, and try to imagine that it's twice as loud, bolstered by 808s and and soaked in face-melting distortion.
7. No Joy: Bad Flirt
With No Joy, Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd have shared bills with Best Coast, Wavves and Vivian Girls. Not so long ago, however, the Montreal shoegazers were rubbing shoulders with far less credible stars: in 2007, their group Bad Flirt won a battle of the bands contest held by the Olsen Twins. The shameless Metric knock-off "Hiroshima, Mon Frere" is below.
Bad Flirt-Hiroshima, Mon Frere by brienta
6. Rivers Cuomo (Weezer): Avant Garde
Weezer have occasionally dabbled in hard rock and metal (most notably on 2002's Maladroit), but these forays have always been tempered by ultra-poppy hooks and healthy dose of irony. This wasn't always the case: frontman Rivers Cuomo was previously a member of the progressive metal outfit Avant Garde. We all saw Cuomo's meticulously teased mullet on the cover of his solo compilation Alone II; the musical equivalent of that hairdo is "Tongue of Fire," which you can hear below.
5. Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast): Bethany Sharayah
Best Coast's pop songs are a little on the cheesy side, and Bethany Cosentino's melancholic lyrics about boys are a big part of what we love about last year's Crazy for You. She went too far with the corniness, however, when she performed as a solo singer-songwriter under the name Bethany Sharayah. Cosentino has recently tweeted about her love of Sheryl Crow; you can hear that influence in action over at PureVolume and Bethany Sharayah's MySpace.
4. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): Bad Radio
Pearl Jam have achieved and maintained mainstream success despite fearlessly anti-commercial pursuits like shunning music videos and boycotting Ticketmaster. Singer Eddie Vedder didn't always have credibility, however. As the frontman of his former band, Bad Radio, Vedder used to growl and toss his hair while doing a reprehensible impression of Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis. "Do the Evolution" indeed.
3. Björk: Björk
When Björk titled her 1993 LP Debut, she wasn't being entirely honest. In 1977, she released an album simply called Björk. She had only recently turned 12 years old, so it's no surprise that the music sounds a little juvenile. Björk has always been a little strange, but these early tracks are possibly even weirder than the ones that have since made her one of the world's most beloved songwriters. Just listen to this shrill, unpalatable "Álfur Út Úr Hól," which is an Icelandic-language cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill." Yikes.
2. Trent Reznor: Option 30
Whether he's masterminding Nine Inch Nails, performing alongside his wife in How to Destroy Angels, or penning soundtracks, Trent Reznor specializes in dark and unsettling sounds. There's nothing creepy, however, about watching him dance like a goofball while fronting his early new wave band Option 30 (pictured above). Below, you can see him live up to the title of Joe Jackson's "Look Sharp!" Sweet moves, Trent.
1. Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire): Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore
Régine Chassagne is now a core member of the Grammy Award-winning, Billboard chart-topping, mega-famous Montreal rock crew Arcade Fire. But before that, she played with a faux-medieval band called Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore (which translates as "Jugglers of the Mandrake"). See this video for the song "A L'Entrada Del Tens Clar," which shows Chassagne singing and dancing to an irritating flute jig while dressed in historical garb. The best part? The band are still active, although Chassagne is no longer a member.
