Something about a band that is over 83% female, from Brazil, and has such a playful, unique sound, just hit me right away, on several levels. On one level, as a musician, their music has a somewhat popular appeal, but is not too simple to be a turn off to someone like me. On another level, they are very unique, and the appeal of being different (and proud of it! the first track, C.S.S. Suxxx, is so arrogant) reaches me on a philosophical level. On an entirely unrelated level, the women in this band are sexy without even trying. Yeah I’m a guy, and I said it. Jon Harper, their drummer, is a lucky man.
I found out about this band when two different friends of mine recommended the band Hot Chip to me. I looked up their stuff on iTunes, and previewed most of their tracks. None of it really grabbed me. I was on one of their albums, and noticed the “Listeners Also Bought” section and noticed a single by CSS. Intrigued, I discovered a pretty cool band. So while I wasn’t all that impressed by Hot Chip, I found CSS irresistible. I browsed their albums, and finally decided on the International version of Cansei de Ser Sexy, which is what CSS stands for.
Cansei de Ser Sexy is Portugese for “tired of being sexy,” which was another appeal. The band named themselves after an alleged quote from Beyonce, who said she was tired of having to be sexy all the time. I never considered myself sexy. But I am familiar with the concept of living up to an expectation, and the same expectation, over and over again. I had fleeting, very minor, fame as a jazz pianist in a single city. When people recognized me, at first it was flattering, and I loved every minute of it. But, it grew to be a burden. I wondered how I was perceived by people who didn’t know me. I wonder what they expected of me, if anything. The people that did know me expected me to always be ready to play something for them.
I’m sitting here laughing at myself, because of course this problem is very low on the list of problems I have had in my life, and yet I’m writing about it. I’m not even sure I could call it a problem. But this band and this album took me back to those days.
I’ll have fun rocking to this album and all its 80s-era synthesized pop.
Balance: $16.08
Days Remaining: 11
