Shut the f*ck up 'cuz this is what's up

About five years ago they were saying that indie movies were the new garage bands. All you needed was a digital camera, video editing software, and a dozen of your closest friends. I think recently there's been a return to music as an indie art form (read: a way to hang out with buddies, drink too much, and impress chicks), especially with this '80s new wave electropop revival -- again, because of easy access to computers and other relevant software.

Local Toronto band Ninja High School isn't '80s new wave electropop revival, but I suspect they were formed out of someone's desire to become more popular with girls. Without knowing anything about them, I imagined what the band was like from listening to their music:

• The frontman is a charismatic but slightly obnoxious lout whose forceful personality keeps the band from falling apart. (Likely the founding member.)
  
• The drummer is the only one with any formal musical training.
  
• No one likes the keyboardist, but they keep him around because no one else has a keyboard, and he's also their sound guy.
  
• The rest of the members are assorted backup-shouting and -dancing, tambourine-playing girlfriends, hangers-on, and riff-raff, who are just in it for the great after-show parties.

Of course, this is (probably) all untrue. But that's the impression I got from the 45 minutes of relentless slapdash cheerleading old school dance-rap on Young Adults Against Suicide. I tired of it quickly; there was little variation between tracks. If they ever show up on the bill of any of the concerts I go to, however, I'll be pleased. They at least sound like they're raucous good fun live.

Ninja High School website (I hope their sense of web design is ironic)
Ninja High School on NMC
Ninja High School on MySpace