STRFKR

Sharing their name with a punky Belgian girl group resembling the Donnas and one of the raunchiest Rolling Stones songs on Goats Head Soup (which was changed to the title "Star Star"), ********** are an indie pop/indie electro band comprised of Sexton Blake's Josh Hodges, Junkface's Ryan Bjornstad, and Mr. Fredrick's Shawn Glassford. After chief songwriter Hodges returned to Portland, OR, after a four-year stint in New York City, he released two Sexton Blake records on Expunged Records with the help of Bjornstad, including Plays the Hits, a breezy but glum lo-fi album of '80s covers. Looking to convert his musical endeavors into a more lighthearted project, Hodges recruited Glassford and formed a new group with Bjornstad. With notable live performances that featured some instrument swapping, dual drumming, and stage diving, as well as some outlandish costumes, Dylan Magierek's attention was drawn to their set, and he signed the band to Badman Recording Company. Hodges and Magierek took some of their home recordings to the Type Foundry to round out the record with some intricate layering, and in September 2008 the album was released to the public and hailed by critics for its abundance of dance-friendly hooks.