Band names with a building theme.

The origins of some interesting band names!

A recent story from a key contributor to The Riff, Keith R. Higgons, discussed songs about food. It was a great piece of writing, a fun read, and an excellent selection of songs!

Pondering songs about food though reminded me of the Talking Heads album ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’. That brief period of pondering also made me hungry!

To complement Keith’s story, I thought I’d compile a collection of songs about buildings! Much like the food theme, there are quite a few songs with a building theme. Simply take a look at house (‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘Our House’, ‘Red House’, ‘Susan’s House’, ‘Burning Down the House’), or hotel (‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Hotel California’, ‘Blue Hotel’). You get the idea. Way too many to choose from and plenty of obvious choices.

So, I decided to challenge myself a little further, and come up with a list of bands whose names have a building theme! Again, I tried to avoid the obvious ones (like perennial favourites The Church!), and come up with some artists that may not necessarily leap to mind.

I hope you find something interesting in the brief descriptions featured below.

1. Einstürzende Neubauten

A German group formed in 1980, the name directly translates to “Collapsing New Buildings”. Einstürzende Neubauten were leaders of the industrial/noise/experimental genre, with compositions featuring traditional instruments alongside instruments made out of scrap metal and tools.

The Neubauten (“new buildings”) part of the name is a general term referring to buildings constructed in post-WWII Germany. With many buildings lost in the war, a significant rebuilding program saw the construction of buildings considered to be inferior to pre-war buildings.

The band has been led by Blixa Bargeld (vox, guitars, keys) since its inception, with long-time collaborators N.U. Unruh (custom-made instruments, percussion), and Alexander Hacke (bass, acoustic guitar, other instruments). Bargeld was also a member of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds for 20 years.

Early releases were uncompromising, with harsh noise, and screamed vocals. The band has an extensive discography of releases covering the last 40 years.

Try this piece if you’re game. A live version of the title track of the first album.

2. The Motels

From Berkeley, California, The Motels were a new wave band led by vocalist and songwriter Martha Davis. The group has been through several iterations, the most recent called Martha Davis and The Motels.

Originally called The Warfield Foxes, the band looked for a name change as they moved to Los Angeles in 1975. Driving to their first gig there, guitarist Dean Chamberlain noted the motor inns as they drove down Santa Monica Boulevard and suggested “What about The Motels?”.

The band’s debut album, ‘Motels’ was released in 1979, with the single ‘Total Control’ becoming a big seller in Australia and France (reaching top 10 and top 20 on those respective charts). Success in their home country was harder to come by, reaching #109 on the Billboard chart.

The band enjoyed only moderate success with their second album, however, their fortunes changed with the release of their third album ‘All Four One’ in 1982. The two singles ‘Only The Lonely’ and ‘Take the L’ charted well, with assistance from videos and the emergence of MTV.

3. Cornershop

Cornershop is an indie rock band with Indian influences based in Leicester, England. The group was formed in 1991 by brothers Tjinder and Avtar Singh. The seven-piece band employs the usual mix of vocals, guitars, bass and drums, however, they also use traditional Indian instruments such as dholki, tamboura, and sitar.

The stereotype of British Asians running corner shops was the inspiration for the band’s name. Keeping with the Indian theme, the band’s first single was released on curry coloured vinyl.

Of the nine records that Cornershop released, their third album ‘When I Was Born For The 7th Time’ reached the highest on the UK charts at #17. The album featured the international hit ‘Brimful of Asha’, of which the Norman Cook remix reached #1 on the UK charts in February, 1998. The song celebrates Indian film culture and is a tribute to singer Asha Bhosle.

4. Buena Vista Social Club

The Buena Vista Social Club was a music project put together in 1996 by Cuban musician Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, American guitarist Ry Cooder, and Nick Gold from London record label World Circuit. An ensemble of Cuban musicians, some well into their 70s and 80s, was established to showcase popular Cuban music styles.

A self-titled album was released in 1997 and became widely successful, with 12 million copies sold. Filmmaker Wim Wenders recorded performances and interviews for a documentary, again simply named ‘Buena Vista Social Club’, which went on to win an Oscar.

The ensemble was named after the Buenavista Social Club founded in 1932 in Havana. There, musicians would congregate to drink, listen to and play music.

Ry Cooder described the album’s lead track, ‘Chan Chan’, as the group’s “calling card”.

5. School of Seven Bells

Formed in New York in 2007, School of Seven Bells (SVIIB) comprised Benjamin Curtis (guitars, synth, vox) and identical twins Alejandra (vox, guitar) and Claudia Deheza (keys, vox).

Described as an idie rock band, SVIIB songs combined elements of electronica and shoegaze, with dream pop atmospheric textures, echo, reverb, and LOTS of details. Vocals were recorded first, followed by the music. One review suggested that Alejandra and Claudia intertwine their near-identical voices like the fingers of praying hands.

The group produced three albums prior to Curtis’s death from lymphoma in 2013. A fourth record was completed by Alejandra Deheza, using demos of songs Curtis had written prior to and during his illness, and released in 2016.

The band took its name from a legendary Colombian school that teaches kids how to pickpocket. The final exam at the school consists of picking from a suit rigged up with seven strategically placed bells; the student must pick the pocket clean without ringing a single bell.

‘My Cabal’ is the first single from their debut album ‘Alpinisms’. It’s an incredible record!

Ok, so there is a small selection of bands whose names feature some type of building. No doubt there are many, many others. Feel free to comment and share some names that spring to your mind!

Thanks for reading!