Synth-Pop Fight to the Death: Holland Boys Vs. Fantasy Mirrors
While I was checking out IGIF the other day, I spotted a great write-up about an unsigned synth-pop band from Boston, called Fantasy Mirrors. I downloaded the track, and as I proceeded to listen, I noticed a stunning similarity between them and Philly’s own unsigned dark prince of synth Holland Boys (the band actually consists of one guy named Diamond Eyes and two choreographed female dancers). So which one shall I choose? Since some similarities are already evident, let’s allow the differences determine the victor..here we go…best of 3:
The Sound: Like Connor pointed out in his post, FM’s sound is a mix of Devo, Pulp, Kraftwerk and Scott Walker…plus some Giorgio Moroder. HB’s sound is pretty much the same, except creepier. Both are awesome songwriters, but HBs’ lyrics are more witty. Therefore, after one round, FMs are left bloodier than their opponent.
The Performance: Though I enjoyed seeing HBs live, I always hoped they/he would start incorporating more live keyboards into the set, like that of FMs’:
HB:
FM:
Too bad those hot girls in surgical masks weren’t playing keyboards…black eye for HBs!
The Look/The Mood: HBs do a better job of visualizing the tongue-in-cheek qualities of their music than FMs. They basically take it to the level of performance art and audiences typically are left unsure of what to make of it. I laugh every time I watch this video, and since FMs don’t have a funny music video, they just got knocked the f*ck out! Check it:
All in good fun, both bands are rad…or are they? You decide!
Of course, whenever FMs have goods for sale we will link you to them…as for HBs, well, the future of Diamond Eyes still hangs in the balance.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Fantasy Mirrors – Human Beings
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
