What’s their sound?
Imagine the teenagers in neon T-shirts and white sunglasses you catch throwing up outside your apartment building at 3 a.m. starting a band with only a cheap synthesizer and lots of Red Bull.
What the hell does that mean?
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head craft buzzed-out pogo dance jams laced with sardonic, hipster-baiting lyrics, like the overly caffeinated “Sophisticated Side Ponytail,” found on their blinding debut CD, Glistening Pleasure. They send up indie guys with “Beard Lust,” an ironic tribute to facial hair that’s as ridiculous as it is awesome.
Is their game tight?
NPSH formed only three years ago while still in high school—legend has it members Luke Smith and Shaun Libman bonded in the food court of Seattle’s Space Needle—and quickly amassed a loyal following with their raucous live shows. Most recently, they landed a plum spot touring with the Faint and Kool Keith.
X-factor
According to singer Claire England, the band received a solid thumbs-up from their namesake. “My sister met [Portman] for a minute at a bakery in New York, Magnolia Bakery,” England told the San Francisco Bay Guardian. “Natalie Portman came in and [my sister] was like, ‘Oh, my sister’s in a band named after you.’ And [Portman] was like, ‘Oh, cool.’”
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head will open for CSS at the Echoplex on Thurs., Dec. 11, at 8 p.m.
Scott T. Sterling is Music editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
