Underrated H cont'd. - Holes in the Backdrop of the Memory

The most satisfying aspect of this exercise is not shilling for my favorite bands, but looking back through my music catalog and finding the bands that I, myself, never paid enough attention to. Both of these two fall into that category.

Homunculus - "Cornelia," The Pulse of Directed Devotion.

I first got romantic with my wife at a Homunculus show. We didn't neck in the corner of the club or anything so classless. We simply danced. Not even that junior high dry-hump kind of dancing. More like late '80s Solid Gold hip-couple-on-the-upstairs-scaffolding dance. It was sexy, I'm sure.

Homunculus was composed of IU dudes who all had wildly eclectic tastes in music, but actually found a way to create a somewhat focused sound guided by a mission statement that went something like "The Funky Meters meets a Beatles Fan Club, with a little Jam Bandiness thrown in."

They weren't afraid to drop it on the one and at the same time loved syrupy sweet lyrics and choruses. Their overall visual aesthetic was remarkably consistent, with every band member wearing a suit onstage. I loved them and went to every show at the Bluebird in Bloomington that I could make it to. They were exceptional live--funky, sweaty fun with lots of this going on.

And like friends from college with whom we've lost touch, I lost touch with Homunculus after I left Bloomington. The singer from the song above and below left the band around the time I was finishing at IU. I saw the band a couple of times in New York, but not nearly with the frequency I did in Southern Indiana.

Homunculus recorded one more album and toured extensively in the early Aughts, but eventually broke up.

My wife and I danced to one of their songs at our wedding.

Their first two records are highly underrated.
 

Cornelia

 

Hot Hot Heat - "Goodnight, Goodnight," - Elevator.

Talk about textbook underrated. I don't even own a complete album from these guys, but I would put two of their songs, "Bandages" and "Goodnight, Goodnight," in my top 100 singles of the 2000's.

They are best described as post-Punk post-Ska post-alternative Alternative-Ska-Punk. That's some fine genre murder, right there.

My brother-in-law even has a fleeting cameo in one of their videos.

Every time I hear their songs I think about how much more I ought to listen to them. I never do.

This song should make you happy and dancey and think about a time when you kicked some dude/chick to the curb and felt good about it.

Goodnight Goodnight - Hot Hot ...