Danny Seim (of Menomena and Lackthereof) has teamed up with the National’s Bryan Devendorf to form Pfarmers. Horn player Dave Nelson, who’s performed with Sufjan Stevens and the David Byrne/St. Vincent live band, is the third member of Pfarmers.
Seim and Devendorf have been friends for a while, ever since the National and Menomena were tourmates years ago, and Pfarmers got its start when Devendorf ran into Seim at a festival backstage, and played for him some “severely damaged, synth-affected drumbeats” he’d been recording with Nelson.
The first Pfarmers track certainly bears out that origin story, with an emphasis on rhythm that seems only natural, considering Seim and Devendorf each play drums for their other bands. Take a listen to “The Ol’ River Gang,” which features Seim on lead vocal and a shape-shifting, kaleidoscopic arrangement over a propulsive drumbeat. It goes from something fearful, almost violent, into a beautiful, impassioned conclusion. It’s pretty awesome.
“The Ol’ River Gang” comes from the first Pfarmers album, Gunnera, which is due out May 12 on Jurassic Pop Records. Of the album’s lyrical theme, Seim says, “The record is about a dream I had where I’m reluctantly accepting a fear of drowning by focusing on being reincarnated as a giant Gunnera plant, which thrive on the banks of rivers (specifically the Jordan River i.e. the Biblical promised land) after I paint myself gold and sink to the bottom like the El Dorado of South American folklore.” Oh well, guess they can’t all be about how tough it is for a band on the road.