Video: Talk Normal, “In a Strangeland”

October 28, 2009


We were excited, but not surprised, to learn that Talk Normal is soon to open for Sonic Youth. Beyond the latter's interest in fostering the underground they helped build, it's a perfect pair. Talk Normal, whose debut Sugarland was released yesterday, have early Sonic Youth DNA (and DNA DNA—as we noted when we posted the MP3 of this song), with their bulbous repetition and No Wave fear mongering. Help me, I'm a stranger in a strangeland/ Don't push me away. But they're not sung, or really spoken. More orated, fear of xenophobia manifesting itself in sterile guitar chugs and taut drum beatings. The video for the song, super clean performance of the band playing in a well lit black room could just as easily be slick MTV clip as bizarre installation. Which is what happened to Sonic Youth for a little while, too. Now Talk Normal just needs to befriend Macaulay Culkin and the cycle will be complete.

Video: Talk Normal, “In a Strangeland”