CSS

Photo by Mariana Juliano.

Before disintegrating into more and less successful entities, the Canadian duo Death From Above 1979 was one of the smartest bands around. When I say "smartest" I might mean "smartest," or I might mean "coolest." In this case I see no distinction. DFA1979 became as big as they could have with a career lasting one EP and one full length (the full length had the same cover art as the EP). The band featured a mastermind bass player and a singing drummer. They toured incessantly and, presumably, cheaply. As the hype crested, an unexpected threat of legal action caused the addition of the minimum number of symbols to the band name (to appease DFA Records, allowing DFA1979 fans to laugh at one of the coolest labels in the game). DFA1979 became one of Vice Records' party bands; they would be flown around the world for free to play decadent events, party hardily, and make good impressions. Their album was engineered perfectly, every scuzzy, primal urge translated on tape. The band unified the hipster underground with sweaty two-minute anthems like "Romantic Rights." The lyrics went like this: "Come here baby/I love your company/we could do it/and start a family." The band briefly blurred the vision of mainstream crowds on tours with Nine Inch Nails and Queens Of The Stoneage. The song "Black History Month" (BRILLIANTMP3 below) was one of my favorite of that year ('04-'05). Max Weinberg hopped on the kit during a Conan O'Brien appearance.

Two years later, a dance band from Brazil called Cansei de Ser Sexy (Portugese for "tired of being sexy"; CSS for short) wrote a song called "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above." The title was also the hook. The song (BRILLIANTMP3 below) has two clever parts: a disco-funk guitar line and an industrial breakdown. Past waking up one day and reading about CSS on every blog around, the video for "Let's Make Love..." forged my first impression of the band. That impression: positive.

The "Let's Make Love..." video.

"Let's Make Love..." is an undeniable track in the club, which is where I saw CSS a week ago. They headlined the afterparty for an all-day, three-stage event for the venerable CBS radio station LIVE105. The lineup seemed like a list of all the bands I've seen and played with in the last two years. I'm sure it would have been fun at the expense of the afterparty being more fun.I decided to sleep in.

That was the right decision. The afterparty was a shock to the system. It was one of those sold out events where they kept selling tickets whenever someone would leave, even though a lot of the people leaving were, like, The Faint and people from the radio station that were going to come right back in. The Faint milled around the crowd and DJed (evidence they shouldn't have been on the main stage, perhaps). I missed an opener (I was bowling), then Busdriver performed. He's an LA rapper who toured with CSS. I'm long overdue on writing Busdriver. He's a fucking superhero.

CSS came out before a large number of drunk, excited people that probably weren't at the festival. Zero of my friends who performed made it to the afterparty, because it was a clear, sunny day and Paul Banks was around, which means it was hot out. None of that mattered. In fact, the entire success of the afterparty probably speaks to the enormous fanbase CSS has established. When CSS chanteuse Lovefoxxx giggled her way onstage, through the fog and laser lighting of SF's new treasure chest, Mezzanine, it seemed like everyone just wanted to touch her. Ms. Lovefoxxx, a button-cute Brazilian of Japanese and German descent, appeared in a somber-rainbow of a dress. She looked disco-regal, a couple of indie-credible boyfriends away wresting the mod-queen crown from Karen O's lacy diva hands. All four CSS guitarists ripped and Ms. Lovefoxxx pretended to speak poor English. It was too dense to dance so the crowd pulsed together—even 10 or 15 rows back from the stage. The crowd was diverse and sweaty: the perfect setting for twee-weird Brazilian pop-dance-punk rock.

CSS heads to Europe for the remainder of the summer, where the band opens for Gwen Stefani. It's a crazy match that's hopefully as good for Ms. Stefani as for CSS and, well, Europe. Ms. Stefani is a luxurious A-lister, one of the more interesting receptacles for really expensive ideas. Few stars have the career insurance Ms. Stefani does, and I hope to give her handlers the props they deserve at some point in the future—in person. Saying she survived the disaster of her first single "Wind It Up," suggests that someone on her end might have cared. It was more like the time-release gelcap-coating that prepared Earth for "Sweet Escape," a great track from any direction. Her current single is "4 In The Morning." It doesn't seem to be catching on, but it's Ms. Stefani's "favorite track on the record," produced by Tony Kanal, and totally awesome (BRILLIANTMP3 below). And it has a great video.

The point is: referencing DFA1979? Playing after The Faint DJ? Touring with Busdriver then Ms. Stefani? CSS is cool, man. It's true.

Ms. Lovefoxxx with her manager at San Francisco's Pier 39. Adorable? Hilarious? Both? You decide.

Live at Mezzanine, though not last weeks performance.

Ms. Stefani's "4 In The Morning." She looks better than ever, the beat is hot, and the melodies are sticky. As in: I can't let them go.

Right click-and-save to download an MP3 of “Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above,” from the album Cansei de Ser Sexy by CSS.

Right click-and-save to download an MP3 of “Black History Month,” from the album You're A Woman, I'm A Machine by Death From Above 1979.

Right click-and-save to download an MP3 of “4 In The Morning,” from the album The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani.

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