How many band members does it take to have a good band? Sometimes only two, sometimes four, and sometimes a lot more. We All Have Hooks For Hands has nine. Dueling drummers, a violinist, three guitars, two horn/keyboard players, and a bassist. I'd say they sound a bit like a handful of bands I'm familiar with. Tap Tap and Canadian indie rock bands like Wolf Parade & other Spencer Krug projects are in there. Lots of percussion and shouting like Rock Plaza Central or Arcade Fire, horns that make me make me think Beirut, and a sound somewhere in the ballpark of early Apples in Stereo and a folkier Neutral Milk Hotel.

One thing I can't pinpoint about We All Have Hooks For Hands on The Pretender (their new album) is the addition of the keyboards. I can't think of a band that has a folkish indie rock sound with horns, keys, and a bit of experimentation. That's one of the first things that caught my attention about this band. We All Have Hooks For Hands is Eli Show, Isaac Show, Brent Hardie, Tim Evenson, Tony Helland, David Left, Logan Borchardt, Micheal Graber and Tory Stollen. They're yet another quality act on Afternoon Records up in Minneapolis.

Afternoon Records says: "Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the 167th largest city in the nation, is the commuting center for the nine members that make up We All Have Hooks For Hands. Originally starting in a downtown Sioux Falls apartment as a simple project to create happy pop tunes, "Hold On, C'mon" was recorded first with minimal members without a name for the project. A six piece first set off for a short west coast tour screaming through the mountains in a green tin lizzy.

After growing from the experience, a full-length album was put into production. A self-built/self-taught recording studio resulted in the addition of multiple amiable pals hailing from as far as Freeman, S.D., home of the Mennonites. The result is a full band with a radiant sound, which includes dueling drummers, a violinist, three guitars, two horn/keyboard players, and a lonely bass. The size of band and collective feel is a means to experiment with sound and dynamics. The influences that shaped the upcoming album are as colorful as they were plentiful. The party lifestyle in a rural city fuels the music."

Listen:

We All Have Hooks For Hands - The Pretender (April 17th, 2007)

1. Music Which Feeds The Guests
2. Jumpin' Jean-Luc
3. Oh I'd Expect
4. Hold On, C'mon
5. The Man Trying To Outfox Us All
6. Elvis "MF" Christ
7. On & On
8. Ghosts and Strangers
9. The Teeth That Feed The Lions
10. untitled

They've got a few dates booked with Mouthful of Bees, who I wrote about previously:

• April 21 Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Jul 15 Velvet Lounge - Washington dc, Washington DC
• Jul 18 The Knitting Factory - New York City, New York
• Jul 20 Cassa Burrito - Murfreesbro, Tennessee
• Jul 22 Saddle-Creek bar - Omaha, Nebraska
• Jul 24 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minnesota

You can pick up a copy of The Pretender at Afternoon Records, and hear more We All Have Hooks For Hands at MySpace.

Labels: Albums, Indie