DiScussion: Who's your favourite duo?
You don't see a duo for ages and then two come along at once. Last week, the once little known indie duo The Kills fizzed, snapped and thumped the television viewing faces of an unassuming British public on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. In the past few days, LA-spawned cult duo No Age also made news headlines for their US TV appearance (below) which cause a political storm. This pair of pairs got us thinking about the power of two ... and off to YouTube we went...
Visually, it's the lack of attention-diluting members which makes these bands special. How can two hands and two feet make such a frenetic sound? The interplay that only a couple can have also adds a extra dimension of myth and magic to the duo, making it a format that just never seems to wear thin.
We wanna know who your favourite duo is but first, here are three to focus your mind and get you started...
With the release earlier this year of Nouns (9/10 review) Randy Randall and Dean Spunt double underlined the fact that they were a beacon of inspiring and intelligent life in LA this decade. Previously Weirdo Rippers (9/10 review), an album compiling their initial recordings put them and LA club The Smell on the world map. The reaction to their initial releases were phenomenal and the pair packed themselves off to play a relentless tour, everywhere and anywhere that would have them.
Their debut releases have won hearts, minds and end-of-year plaudits for their raucous swerving between the epic art-rock of Liars, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, hurled along by the primal thud of skate punk and post-hardcore. They're refreshing but all the while it's a bewildering feat that it's only just the two of them (and a little bit of pedal trickery) making this static-riddled wall of noise.
DiS is very excited to have them as the main support on our Shred Yr Face tour (info) which begins this week.
Here's No Age performing 'The Eraser' on The Late Late Show:
Performing 'Last Day of Magic' live on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Blood Red Shoes
_Performing 'Say Anything, Say Anything' and 'This Is Not For You' live at the Le Rock Dans Tous Ses États festival. _
_DiScuss: So who's your favourite duo? Iwasacubscout? Tegan & Sara? Crystal Castles? Quasi? White Stripes? Matt & Kim? Ike & Tina? Derek & Clive? What makes duos special for you? Do you ever wonder how the hell two people cannot help but fall out on the road? Why are duos better than solo artists? Is two people making noise more impressive than a huge Broken Social Scene collective? Should The Stones have just been Keith and Mick? What other bands would have been better if they were just a duo? _
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Burt Bacharach and Hal David
write better and more successful than all the above
but if i had to choose, No Age
Japanther
since last night
'Eraser' by No Age
Not 'The Eraser' - that's a Thom Yorke song / album :)
Chaka Khan & Rufus
were awesome back in the day.
darkthrone
or maybe no age
Slow club
I have been mightily impressed so far.
i'd say either
DFA 1979 or Helio Sequence.
Two Gallants
or old school Hella.
scratch that, it's crystal castles
<3 alice
two hands and two feet?
is jamie hince secretly a quadruple amputee?
Big Business or Hot Bone for me
Lightning Bolt
The Brians manage to make a bigger racket than most bands
Also Yellow Swans and Tom & Christina Carter
I could go on...
But I guess those are my staple favourites.
PJ & Duncan
They were a duo, a twosome.
The Black Knights
...from Salford...aceness.
Flower - Corsano
Fuck Buttons
Sic Alps
Would've been Quasi...
until they ruined their duo status. I am now favourite duo-less!
Daft Punk
No Age
Digital Mystikz
Kode 9 & The Spaceape
Eric B & Rakim
winnebago
deal
Hall & Oates
Tears For Fears. Not Hue & Cry or Soft Cell.
wildbirds and peacedrums
Matmos!
Nobody's said Arab Strap?
Your all dead to me...
Daryl Hall and John Oates...
...obviously.
oops...
and Tears For Fears.
tsss
big business
dfa 1979
the carps
Sad
that it took this long for Lightning Bolt to get mentioned...
My vote would go for DFA1979 though.
Also
Justice
Actually
do they count? DVNO n'Uffie and that...
The Dodos
Are a trio!
well now that Low have lost Zack
surely they are a duo and therfore they win the thread?
Or Lightning Bolt.
Simon and Garfunkel
or Teagan and Sara!
THE TING TINGS!!11!
SAFETY WINK
Reeves & Mortimer
cool cool conditioned air...
Pet Shop Boys
Actually
kylie and jason
but seriously, flight of the conchords.
current = she & him
all time = gram parsons and emmylou harris
I did an IT A-level
with one of the black knights...
Do very much like
Gay Against You.
viva voce
are good
Live, yes.
But I'm pretty sure that it's still just Meric Long and Logan Kroeber who class themselves at "The Dodos" on record.
Quasi
featuring birds era
At the moment, BRS.
But its gotta be DFA1979 overall for me. Mainly because of how 2 men can make the noise of 10.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Silver Apples
Suicide
The Fiery Furnaces
definately Quasi feat. birds era
shame they went a bit, dare I say rubbish
mobb
deep
Lightning Bolt
Grabba Grabba Tape
Gay Against You
Agaskodo Teliverek (although they've turned into a full band now)
Autechre
Am I predictable?
I think I must be.
Matt and Kim, Mates of State, The Rosebuds
and i have been fortunate enough to see all of them.
maybe no age will get in there when i see shred yr face tour in leeds
ADULT.
although The Kills' Restaurant Blouse is ace
Well obviously. Boards of Canada.
Can't be bothered to read through all the guff to see if theyve been mentioned before...
Oxide and Neutrino
not! LOL!
im about to trump everyone with
the real best duo ever... ladies and gentlemen, i proudly give you:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmv--UJ3eJM
aka Wyclef Jean and The Rock
can't believe no one has mentioned
chas & dave
^^^
x5
david bowie and mick jagger
d-d-d-d-dancin
Dans le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
kythxby
an IT A level?
..which Black Knight was that then???!?!
Floodland-era Sisters Of Mercy
OMD
Chaka Demus and Pliers
^^^
x10
Lightning Bolt
Cath and Phile Tyler
And if I'm allowed, PJ Harvey's work with John Parish
They bloody take ages
to soundcheck. And there's only two of them.
ROYAL TRUX the originators
The best and first mystically magic rock duo


The Kills
Blood Red Shoes
No Age
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