Apache Beat

Make no mistake; Apache Beat isn't another collective of art-school dropouts who moved to Brooklyn last month, fulfilling their lifelong dream of 'making it big' along the L line. Not even close. While such taste-making publications as Pitchfork, NME and NYLON helped stoke the band's Next Big Thing status in the past year, Apache Beat started sharpening their post-everything knives at the tail end of 2006. Several jaw-dislodging demos later, Summer Lovers Unlimited—a label known for starting, not chasing, trends (The Tough Alliance, Crystal Castles, The Teenagers)—was already lining up to press its first Apache Beat single, "Tropics." To this day, it's the song everyone shows up to see, an ain't-gonna-back-down, not-even-for-a-second anthem for jilted lovers and anyone who digs hollow drums, sinewy riffs, and manic melodies. Oh, and a sax that squeals like a pissed-off parrot. Can't forget that part. You see, Apache Beat's songs are not merely the sum of their influences. Starting with shades and shards of Roxy Music and the Pixies, Krautrock and new wave, Apache Beat meet their music collections halfway with an unparalleled brand of avant-rock that's aggressive and intricate as hell. All thanks to a restless rhythm section (drummer Neil, bassist Mike); the cutting chords of Phil; the serpentine synth lines of Christina; and the brooding vocals of Iliana, a stage-seizing frontwoman with effortless style (as celebrated in the pages of Jalouse, V and Elle—yes, already). But hey, don't believe us when it comes to Apache Beat; believe the band's growing number of friends and fans, from the MisShapes to members of MGMT, School of Seven Bells, Chairlift, the Gossip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Gang of Four. (Nick Zinner even sported an Apache Beat shirt at a recent Letterman taping.) Let's just say there's a reason—or three—that Iliana was asked to sing on the Rapture's last record, and that lil' rubbery bassline on Chairlift's breakthrough "Bruises" single? Well, you can thank Mike for that one, and be happy that he and the rest of the group are finally putting the finishing touches on their debut full-length, Last Chants. Slated for release in late 2009, the album features Martin Bisi's (Sonic Youth, Swans, The Boredoms) board work and guest performances by Lightspeed Champion, the Rapture and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Apache Beat are set to be the band in 2009 who will be bringing the adrenaline back into music.