Song of the Day

Fitz & the Tantrums: “Don’t Gotta Work It Out”

April 6, 2011 5:00 am by: Andrew Uhler

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L.A.’s Fitz & the Tantrums is a fun band to listen to – in any setting. NPR music analyst Ann Powers (then writing for the Los Angeles Times) commented that the band communicates their material best in concert, but that their 2009 debut LP, Pickin’ Up The Pieces “serves as a fine proxy and party-starter.”

There’s a notable absence of guitar in the band’s sound, lending it a modern Motown feel. Frontman and founder Michael Fitzpatrick (who previously worked in the business as a recording engineer), says he simply wanted “to try and make a big sounding record without guitars.”

The guitar-less sound lends itself much easier to dance party break outs than heavy guitar-tinged indie-pop. And Fitz & the Tantrums certainly compelled crowds at this year’s SXSW to get up out of their chairs and start moving around – especially when they played to a packed Austin Convention Center Radio Day Stage on Thursday afternoon. This version of the hit single, “Don’t Gotta Work It Out” comes from that exclusive KUT-curated performance.

If you missed Fitz & the Tantrums at SX – you’ll want to check them out at La Zona Rosa on Tuesday, April 19th. Here’s a link to get tickets.

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