Dude! Portland-based band The Slants got profiled yesterday on NPR's All Things Considered: The Slants: Trading in Stereotypes. I believe I've mentioned them here before. They're a cool band with this distinct retro-electronic Asian American-centric sound, if that makes any sense. "Chinatown Dance Rock," they call it. Give a listen to their album Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

The band hasn't been around very long, but according to the story, they've apparently amassed a decent fan base by playing music showcases on the anime fan convention circuit. These shows are usually populated by J-Pop and anime soundtrack bands, but I guess there's also room on the tickets for an Asian American synth-pop/dance-rock bands with songs about intolerance, racism, prejudice and ethnic pride.

I like this band. To learn more about The Slants and hear some samples of their music, visit their website here, and their MySpace page here.