I've been keeping an eye on the Hi-Fi Heart blog lately, because there is a well done and interesting "Songs in Commercials" series on site, where various songs heard in ads are properly identified. Many of the songs used in advertising these days are quite good and some are used from surprisingly little known, truly "indie" acts. It can be a good opportunity to get exposure, but not if they don't tell you who it is!
One that jumped out was "No Biters" by Miss TK & The Revenge, used in a Clearasil commercial depicting smooth skinned confidence..
Since Hi-Fi Heart is a mp3 blog, they have kindly provided a full length good quality copy of the song in question. ("for sampling only") I like this song enough to 'sample' it for the rest of the summer for sure..
Turning it up loud, it is an addictive thrashing beat with swaggering half spoken vocals on top. Compulsive dancing and/or air guitar is sure to occur, at the very least rhythmic twitching beyond the mere pulse of heartbeats..
Well, I went to investigate the song further. I was sure there would be an accompanying video for it on You Tube, but so far I have not found anything "official." However I did find a rather good live recording of the song. They really do look like they would be a good live "dance rock" band to see on the local Jersey scene. Plenty of cowbell as well...
I did some further checking on the band, and could not find much on them. Does the modern definition of underground music mean bands that have no Wikipedia page..? I did find an imeen page where you can stream the studio track.
I found another page that had the lyrics, which I am still pondering the meaning of no "biters". A dictionary reference suggested it may refer to: Vulgar Slang: To be highly disagreeable or annoying. Perhaps that relates..?
At the very least they do have the requisite MySpace page, which is good. They are indeed from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and the site features other minimal information including the aforementioned Clearasil commercial and pictures of pancakes.. If I was interested in purchasing tracks from this band, I see that they have the MySpace Snocap store widget embedded on their site. In fact I clicked on the little text that says SPREAD THE WORD and it gave me the code to place the widget right here below this text:
Well, that takes care of their 4 song EP called "NO BITERZ EP" which includes special bonus 'with z' spelling. But what if I want to buy the album? Where could I find it.. Target? Strangely enough.. you can! ..but it says it is on the Target website for online purchase only.. What if I wanted to run to a store and make an impulse purchase right now? I probably can't since all my fave indie record stores are no longer in the physical realm.. An online purchase is the only option possible, to be realistic.
On Their MySpace page was a picture of the full length album "XOXO." It had a link that said DOWNLOAD NOW, which seemed rather open ended.. Would I indeed be able to download.. now? I clicked and it clocked, my hard drive purred..then a mysterious message came up:
One Moment Please.
Connecting to the iTunes Store.
We are unable to find iTunes on your computer.
OMG Who is trying to find something on my computer?? My only choice was "I have iTunes" or "Download iTunes"... is that really my only choice?? Is this where the pod people connect to the matrix? What if you are allergic to Apples?
On a different angle, I decided to look up more about the band at their official web site listed on MySpace:
Band Website: WWW.JAMNOW.COM/MISSTK
This turned out to be another multiband site not unlike MySpace, but it did have several other songs I could listen to. It also included an extended, very informal interview that at least explained the pancakes pictures, as the album title may have been originally titled "Hot Stacks."
As the Google results went on, I came across another page with slightly more bio info , an obscure site (that claims "fine musical product for the socially unaccepted") to buy the album, presumably an actual material cd. I am sure my credit card could be entrusted to them, as they were "established in 1992.."
I discovered there is a purchase option of "normal" mp3's for the iUnenlightened ones, as the album is listed on Amazon. I see there are buttons where I can pay with Pepsi points? What the heck is that? Does Pepsi compensate these artists with cash or do they just receive the commensurate amount of Pepsi back?
To be honest, by this point I have lost any further interest. I do like the song, but would pass on the album at this time. Would my 0.99 cents make a difference in their lives at this point? Should I be making this a purchase if I want to "keep" the song now? What if I found the cd in a used bookstore some day for a dollar? I do this all.. the.. time..
How do you get music noticed in an infinite electronic sea, in an ocean of indifference...?
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