In our never-ending quest to dig up some great bands that cost less than a corned beef sandwich at Katz’s Deli, we bring you another round of Blips. Blips highlights some great bands that are largely still in their larvae stage, but will soon morph into their beautiful butterfly. In this edition, we have some really cool new music, so take a sec, poke around their various websites, and see what you think.

Renminbi

Website / MySpace

You what really turns me on? Chicks with huge balls. Renminbi is a power trio of badass ladies that hold nothing back in creating a flustering stampede of sound reminiscient of Billy Corgan meets Shpongle. These girls will not only impress you with their writing and playing, but they will also knock you flat on your ass. Remnimbi’s musical compositions are noticeably mature as they often teeter the line, but never fully cross, into harmonious resolves. Rather they perpetually build tension and give you a lot of mini-releases, but never succumb to the full release. Justin Lin Yifu, a well-known economist, stated at a recent conference with Chinese officials that, “Renminbi’s rise must be controlled.” To that, we say good luck. - Rupert

Read on for three more bands that have caught our attention…

Our regular Thursday fuckfaces are back at it. So, gentlemen, please welcome back to the stage, Destiny and Chartreuse, better known as Rupert & Stan.

Today we’re bringing our ol’ One-Timers feature to Hidden Track, a piece that’s more of a bouillabaisse of rapid fire topics like album and show reviews, new bands, films and downloads. Since we only write one post a week, it’s a way to spew out a lot of what’s been on our minds and headphones in one fell swoop.

One on the Rise
Quintus – The Shape Were In

Recorded at the legendary Levon Helm Studios, this six-song debut E.P. exhibits six Quintus standards of their addictively catchy yet respectable brand of pop song. The Shape Were In demonstrates the mature songwriting of this young quartet (the keyboard player left since penning the name, Quintus) — and most of the tunes include clever sections, interesting changes and well-placed tempo shifts.

Quintus blends unabashed catchiness with a tinge of improvisation in a manner that garners a musical credibility. In terms of comparisons, it’s hard not to hear some Beatles in there, and Ben Folds also comes to mind. Curiously, Quintus’s Myspace band photo is missing frontman and primary songsmith, Reuben Chess. I hate to spread rumors, but you have to question if the suits are pushing him in a different direction. Nevertheless, a wise soothsayer can clearly foresee that big things on the horizon for this group of young, talented musicians.

Take the E.P. for a test drive here, and check out this video of the Quintus boys recording with Levon on the kit after the jump (along with much more)…