“We’re an American band.”
-- Grand Funk Railroad
At a time when the ossifying cadaver of Nu metal is jolted into consciousness only by its annual Ozzfest defibrillation, and Britain’s NME has dubbed Nickeback’s Chad Kroeger “The Jesus of Middle Management Rock,” fans cry out for a new way to bang their heads. Enter American Popular, a NYC-based quartet with a feel for expressing complex emotions and ideas without burrowing too far into self-indulgence, and an intuitive understanding of how to translate conflict into music. In this way, American Popular achieve heaviness without affected darkness, creating a deftly unsettling genre mutation that one might call Future metal. We welcome your coverage of their self-titled debut album.
American Popular came together in the summer of 2000, when lead singer/ songwriter, Lawrence Santiago and ex-Deadsy drummer Marc Jordan – who met while students at NYU – hooked up with jazz-influenced bassist Kevin Roberts and ex-Barbies guitarist, Pat Yongkittikul. Asked about the genesis of the band’s name, Lawrence explains the conceptual dichotomy -- and subtle irony – that the name explores. “We’re not a "pop" band, but we are a product of American pop culture. In our current culture, it often seems as if being American is some kind of popularity contest. Everybody wants to be ‘American popular’ and we poke fun at that notion, while we celebrate it too (see final track, “Sold Out”)!”
Blessed with Santiago’s malleable vocal talents and the band’s
expert musicianship, American Popular are capable of delivering a broad
rock palette: from the albums’ powerful lead track, “Father
Help Me,” where Santiago merges the vocal ferocity and unique phrasing
of Korn’s Jonathan Davis with the striking melodic arrangements of
System of a Down, to the bluesy, Mother Love Bone-influenced “Mr.
Trampoline” and on to the Bowie-tinged “The New E-Ruption.”
Adding to the eclectic mix, Jordan’s production subtleties infuse
songs like “Your Religion” and “One Last Wish” with
a Marilyn Manson–esque techno-glam groove, thus extending a distinctive
goth/industrial crossover appeal to these tracks.
American Popular’s first single “My Therapy” has been
serviced to rock/metal specialty stations to be followed by delivery to
modern rock formats. American Popular has received spins at NYC stations
92.3 K-rock, WXDX and 99X. Be one of the first to catch the buzz. I will
be calling you soon to discuss coverage.