Squeezebox Redux

illustration by Josh Cochran

The accordion does not have history on its side. The instrument has been widely jeered for its enduring role in polka bands and klezmer-fueled bar mitzvahs—indeed, DeVotchKa’s Tom Hagerman says the accordion was “practically a license for pummeling back in the day.” And yet, in recent years indie rock has embraced the squeezebox: Beirut uses the instrument to conjure a smoky Parisian café, and DeVotchKa to evoke a gypsy cabaret. The accordion helps Bowerbirds reinvent pastoral Appalachian folk, and it’s also part of the Arcade Fire’s orchestral arsenal, alongside guitars, violins and motorcycle helmets.

“The accordion can quickly color a piece of music into a much darker or even grotesque sort of tune,” Hagerman says. “I think in pop music it tends to make things sound a little anachronistic, in a good way.”

First patented in 1829 by Cyrill Demian, an Austrian piano and organ maker, the modern accordion is a free-reed instrument that’s versatile, portable and easily acquired from attics and junk shops. Characterized by its long folding bellows, it makes an iconic wheezing sound ranging from billowy and droning to foot-stomping and boisterous. “I think the accordion adds some sort of haunting quality or ancient sound to the music,” says Bowerbirds’ accordionist Beth Tacular. “Its sound reminds me of whales calling to each other, or of certain types of birds heard from far away.”

Ben Goldberg, head of Beirut’s label Ba Da Bing, likens the current accordion movement to the DIY guitar bands that sprouted in garages everywhere following the success of punk rockers like the Sex Pistols. “The more bands that use accordions,” Goldberg says, “the more [new] bands will be inspired to try it themselves.”

In other words, brace yourself for phase two of the accordion revolution.

Click here to check out Paste's Ultimate Accordion Playlist!