It should come as no surprise but Dallon Weekes of I Dont Know How But They Found Me is a bit of an alternative music aficionado.
Aside from making his own brand of quirky alt-rock jams with drummer Ryan Seaman, Weekes also has quite the palate when it comes to listening to other people’s music.
If you haven’t already figured it out by now from listening to the first four singles (“Leave Me Alone,” “Razzmatazz,” “New Invention” and “Lights Go Down”) from iDKHOW’s upcoming debut album, Weekes tends to take influence from a wide-range of musicians all leaning a bit more on the eclectic side of things.
Diving deeper into the songs that may have helped the singer/bassist construct his latest work of art, we asked Weekes to pick six albums that influenced his bamd’s (yes, “bamd”) brand new LP Razzmatazz.
To check out some of the surprising selections the talented frontman chose, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to pre-order Razzmatazz before it hits stores October 23rd via Fearless Records.
Sparks - Kimono My House
About five years ago, I discovered Sparks by chance on YouTube while watching old Italian pop shows from the 70s. It was a performance of “Something For The Girl With Everything” from Kimono My House. I was immediately captivated and had to know everything about them. This album is probably the gold standard for their brand of biting and sarcastic pop music that’s a little bit left of normal. It made me want to strive to always find moments to do something unexpected.
Elvis Costello And The Attractions - This Years Model
One of my favorite artists of all time and one of my favorite records ever. For me, it’s been the blueprint for how I try to approach guitar work on any given record. On this album in particular, guitar is treated almost as a secondary instrument. One that’s there to support the bass and keys, while they do the heavy lifting. I’m a sucker for anytime the bass can carry the melody in a song. This record does it flawlessly.
Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research, Inc.
Raymond Scott was a big band composer who got into making experimental electronic music in the Late 1940s. This collection of recordings (not all of it is strictly music) is really fascinating. It was something new and something that had never been done before. A lot of the sounds from this early electronic album were a big inspiration when we were finding sounds for Razzmatazz.
Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
A criminally underrated band from the 90s who had a huge hit (“Brick”) and an entire catalog of really genius tracks. The bass work from Robert Sledge on this album has always been a huge inspiration for me when chasing down bass fuzz. And the same goes for any of Ben Folds’ piano work. I could never approach their level of technical ability but I try to in my writing.
Beck - Midnight Vultures
Another legendary album from the 90s. It’s my favorite Beck album. It’s so fantastically strange but not for the sake of being strange. Everything in it serves the song. And each song on the record was built on a solid pop foundation, but it manages to throw all the pop conventions and rules out the window. I still spin it regularly. It’s genius.
Ima Robot - Self titled
This is another one of my favorite records of all time. It came out in the early 2000s, and for some inexplicable reason, it flew under most people’s radar despite being flawless and groundbreaking and wild! The production is really interesting and always keeps you guessing in the best way possible. One track in particular (“12=3″) is my own personal holy grail when it comes to bass tone.
