Track Marks: How Sir Salvatore Became This Week’s Biggest Band In The World

Welcome to another edition of Track Marks, in which your Idolators perform an autopsy on the latest band burning up the MP3-blogger charts.

Artist: Sir Salvatore Hometown: San Francisco Album: Those Men Are Not Astronauts First blog mention: A June 29, 2006 show notice on Advance Cassette. The Build-Up: On April 13, the Italian MP3 blog lazysundays wrote about them; our translation skills are lacking, so we’re not sure what exactly they said, aside from coining the (possibly inaccurate) term “newgazers.” The Dam-Break: It came fast: Last Saturday, Quick, Before It Melts followed the next day, calling their sound “lo-fi Strokes-infused.” Also that day, It’s Hard To Find A Friend was effusive about receiving a “promo e-mail that [he] actually enjoyed” from the band. Posts from Veritas Lux Mea, Lets Sexy Fighting, and Who Needs Radio, among others, followed, and now, the plucky outfit is at No. 2 on the elbo.ws chart, with only Charlotte Gainsbourg in its path. Odds of Backlash: 4-1. Are They Worthy?: Sure. “Hooray This Projector,” in particular, is a head-bopping piece of indie rock in the second-wave-of-Merge style; also, any band that counts the long-underheralded Polvo in their pantheon of musical heroes is a friend of ours.

Sir Salvatore – Hooray This Projector [MP3, link expired] Sir Salvatore – Public Key [MP3, link expired] Sir Salvatore [MySpace]