WWRM

What, you ask, do beards have to do with music?  Well they don’t, not directly.  They do add something to the aesthetic of your average rocker.   They transform what once was a semi-precious stone into a true gem.  It’s like the perfect pairing of wine with a gourmet meal, or the perfect shoes for an outfit, or…the similes are getting cliché but you get the point.  An increasing number of musicians are sporting beards, be it a phase of scruffiness, to a full on commitment to something too intense to be the side effect of laziness or a dull razor. 

 That being said, I present to you some of the best beards on some of the best musicians.

Ben Bridwell, Band of Horses’s vocalist and guitarist, full out commits to facial hair.  Not only is his beard expertly sculpted, but he also combines flawlessly groomed mane with some awesome tats.  Just conditioning his beard must be enough of a power up to fuel an entire night of musical awesomeness. 

OK, so the beard of Weezer’s River Cuomo didn’t last for long, and arguably it’s more of a goatee.  As if to mark his middle age-ness, Rivers has experimented with all types of face fleece in the past year or so.  But it wasn’t only recently that Rivers has taken to facial hair.  Reportedly when Rivers went to Harvard after Weezer’s initial success, he sported a pretty thick beard.  Even the fans at the university didn’t recognize him.  From Rivers we learn that beards create both the roughly aged aesthetic and become a James Bond style disguise.

Talk about putting Santa to shame.  Sam Beam of Iron and Wine does the beard thing so well, it’s hard to imagine anyone who does it better.  If this doesn’t say folk to you, well I’m sorry because you’re missing out an a full sensory experience.

Nathaniel Followill (second from the right), Kings of Leon’s mighty drummer, grows his dedication to the band’s aesthetic.  Early in their career, KOL sported some wily 70s porn inspired facial hair because no one else was doing it and they wanted to stand out.  What better way to make a musical statement than with a Followill-style long hair and beard combo?

 L Magazine warns readers, “Trend Alert: Some People in Some Bands Have Beards.”  Beards aren’t only a trend, they are a lifestyle.  From whily to well-groomed, they help musicians go under cover, or stand out.  They are the cheese on top of the pizza, inseparably melted to the subtleties of a musician’s sound.  They can give a rocker that signiture style that sets him loose upon the music industry.

Just remember, not everyone can pull a beard off.  Use your razor judiciously.

~itchy

 The first single off of Ok Go’s latest album, Of the Blue Color of the Sky, has finally landed, video and all.  These are the same guys whose self-produced videos for “A Million Ways” and “Here it Goes Again” infected YouTube with plague-like irresistibility.  These are also the same guys whose keep redefining the three-piece suit.  They have worn jackets designed by Meritz Waldemeyer with built in scrolling LED lettering.

They’ve also shown their dedication to pattern when they wallpapered themselves for their Grammy appearance in 2007.

 OK Go’s sound has changed a little.  Of the Blue Color of the Sky, combines the 80’s pop radio that the band has listened to- from Jackson and Prince, Talking Heads to the B-52s.  Tim Nordwind, Ok Go’s bassist, describes the album as having a “lonely robot sound.”   The band has also described this album as having their “most heartbroken and honest songs.”  I’m feeling lucky already. 

We’ve had to wait four long years since their last CD, Oh No, and we’ll have to wait almost two more months for their newest album, Of the Blue Color of the Sky, which drops on January 12, 2010.  Thanks to the album’s first single, we know it’s worth the wait.  The name of the single?  “WTF?” Seriously.  “WTF?”s video looks like Easter’s pastel-colored toxic waste in a wonderful way, and it sounds, well, it just sounds really sexy. 

What are you waiting for?  Watch the video for “WTF?” right now.  No excuses.

 ~itchy