The Devil Has The Best Tuna: Hearts Of Palm UK

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Hearts Of Palm UK

Hearts of Palm UK

Genre: Electro / Indie / Pop
From: Echo Park, California United States

If a picture paints a thousand words then check out the picture accompanying this post, it sums Hearts of Palm UK up perfectly, pure bontempi bubblegum.

Hearts of Palm U.K. aren't from the U.K. at all, of course, and they're not telling what it means or where it comes from adding a smidgeon of mystery to this electro twee pop band.

The band is made up of Erica Elektra (vocals, keyboard, guitar and not the name on hr birth certificate surely) and Ambi-D (glockenspiel, guitar, keyboard, percussion, again I'd be surprised if that was the name her parents gave her) who have both been friends since junior high. Imagine the two popettes from the post industrial Human League covering themselves in honey, forming a band without Phil Oakey and covering Go gos B-sides and you're close to the sound of Hearts of Palm UK. If you find that too difficult to imagine then how about an electrocuted Martha and the Muffins jamming with Camera Obscura in the bedroom of Stereolab .

There is one slight, nagging doubt that I just can't budge. Theres just something about the tracks on their website that makes me want to scream at them to let their hair down, dirty it up a little bit, add a little sleaze, add a little energy. It's all a little too pleasant, a little too safe, a little too secure, it's all a little too much like they're operating in their lo-fi electro pop comfort zone. Once they let rip then hold onto your bobbie pins girls because Hearts of Palm U.K. are coming to steal your boyfriends.