May turn this into an actual 12 Rods thread if there's enough people on here that actually care about them, but for now I wanna focus on introducing them to people who've never listened.

A Brief History (skip if you just want song recommendations):

12 Rods is an indie rock band from Minneapolis formed in 1992. The band has had a rotating cast of members, but the mainstays were vocalist Ryan Olcott, his brother Ev Olcott and Christopher McGuire up until 1999. After releasing their first album Bliss, they went on to record their cult classic EP Gay? which received the first 10/10 Pitchfork ever gave. This led to the band being signed by V2 Records, which they released the albums Split Personalities and Separation Anxieties under. While Split Personalities received critical acclaim and mild success, Separation Anxieties was widely considered to be a disaster (for many reasons outside of the bands control) and led to them being dropped from V2 Records. They went on to release one more album independently, which could arguably be considered their best: Lost Time. Disillusioned and out of money, the band decided to break up after a final homecoming concert in 2004.

In 2015, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver's record label would reissue Lost Time, and the band would perform a reunion concert at the same venue where they performed their last, creating some new buzz around the band.

In 2021, Ryan Olcott announced that he was creating a new 12 Rods album by himself. The album If We Stayed Alive finally released in July of 2023, and it's a worthy addition to the catalog in my opinion. Now, a new lineup of 12 Rods is currently touring for the first time in 2 decades.

Where To Start:

Their EP: Gay? is genuinely one of my favorite pieces of music ever. I think it's a great starting place, along with their final album Lost Time. Split Personalities is also an essential listen, but I feel like it's best enjoyed once you already have an understanding of the band's sound, as it's probably their most "experimental" release. If you don't want to check out a full album or EP, here's a sampler of a few of my favorite tracks:

Check out the opening track Red and tell me this s*** isn't insane:

I Wish You Were A Girl -

Their most popular song, for good reason too.

I Am Faster -

The switch up at 1:55 always blows me away

Telephone Holiday -

A song like this with strings on the chorus

And what I believe to be their magnum opus...

Revolute -

A nearly 10 minute masterpiece and one of my favorite songs of all time. The way it reinvents itself throughout the entirety of the track makes it feel half its length. If you don't listen to any other tracks by them, this is the one to check out.

I genuinely believe this is one of the most overlooked bands of all time, and if the recording process for Separation Anxieties had gone a little smoother, I truly believe they could've seen massive success. They put on a great live show as well, and the tickets are dirt cheap, so check out a concert if you have the chance. Would love to hear yall's thoughts on the band if you decide to give them a try.

YES SUCH A GOATED BAND

make out music one of my top 5 songs oat maybe

Super classic track Saw them perform it live last night

I know @ranch_dubois and @KFA fw the rods

Never heard of them, listening to gay rn. At the first track. I’m ready

Let me know what you think. Enjoy

Minneapolis legends!

Absolutely, Split Personalities is without a doubt one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. I remember hearing I Wish You Were A Girl, loving it, but going into the rest of the album with 0 expectations and just having my mind absolutely blown by how amazing the entire thing was. I'm not sure I've ever had an album click so hard on the first listen like this one

this is probably one of my favorite live performances

I think its insane that this song was around in '99 but didn't come out until Lost Time. One of my favorite 12 Rods songs but i dont think it would have fit on gay or SP at all its so cool to me how they found such a perfect spot for it years later

Never listened but I’m gonna peep some of this during work tomorrow

Had a friend recommend them to me a few years ago and I've been hooked since then

Great performance and even better song.

@Bruises too I think

Will peep this looks up my alley

Nice, let me know what you think

Good band, I’m in

Dis not clicking sadly