MNDR
I’m giving you a rare opportunity. This is the chance to gain some mad hipster points without having to wear plaid OR name drop some crappy, pretentious band name like Yuck. I present to you MNDR. MNDR is a one person band who is based in New York and is just now going on tour with The Ting Tings.
MNDR has a wonderful sound. It’s very dance-y and has an extremely traceable hint of Robyn in it. I recently caught Robyn live at The Studio at Webster Hall, she put on one hell of a show. The bass was turned all the way up and we were dancing our hearts out. She is alone on stage and gets super into her music. She is on the cusp of the new live concert concept of having a adding a visual element to her performance. She has a light projection on the stage that not only looks badass, but creates some really cool shadow effects. It’s very loop based music, but she’s a fun enough lead singer that it remains interesting. She’s about to break big time, so hop on the hipster train before it leaves the station. Let’s just say Amanda Warner is the bomb (lead singer). She often collaborates with Peter Wade.
Warner moved from Oakland, California to New York City in 2008 to work as a songwriter for hire. It was only after meeting Wade that she began to consider fronting a musical act herself. MNDR has opened for bands like YACHT, Massive Attack, and Deerhoof and frequently collaborates with visual artist Jamie Carreiro, who provides visual effects for MNDR’s live shows. Warner and Wade uploaded four tracks to Myspace in 2009, and those tracks eventually became MNDR’s debut EP, E.P.E.. The band is currently working on their first full-length album. The song “Fade to Black” from E.P.E was re-recorded in the Simlish language of The Sims and is featured in The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff.
Warner is featured on the song “Bang Bang Bang”, the first single taken from Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.’s third studio album, Record Collection. The song was co-written by Warner, Wade, Ronson, and Q-Tip. Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone describes MNDR as providing “the song’s indelible French-laden hook” while “a debonair Q-Tip absolutely slays on his verses.”
Warner subsequently provided vocals for a parody version of the song, called “Dom Dom Dom”, written by Chris Moyles and Dave Vitty. She is also featured on Ronson’s 2010 tour in support of his album.
On January 17, 2012, MNDR released a single titled “#1 in Heaven” on Ultra Records. Warner told Spin magazine that the lyrics are inspired by kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, commenting, “The lyrics to the chorus are her words [...] After she was arrested for robbing a bank where someone was murdered, her only press statement was, ‘Tell them [my brothers and sisters] I am smiling and send my greetings.’” The accompanying music video was directed by SSION lead singer Cody Critcheloe and takes inspiration from “strong iconic” women such as Jane Fonda, Wendy O. Williams, and Valerie Solanas. The duo’s full-length debut album is scheduled for release in summer 2012, also on Ultra.
via Wikipedia
#1 In Heaven
Cut Me Out
MNDR on iTunes: