Luckily, there are some more things in the proverbial news. I feel like changing things up a bit, so this post is going to be kind of all over the place. Here are some of my recent local discoveries:
[Fishlips]
This is a band I've been meaning to review for quite some time (mostly to save my Myspace inbox). I haven't caught this band's live show yet, so all I have to go by is what's on their Myspace. But, I'll start with their words, instead of mine, both to be fair and to give you an idea of what they're like: in the "genre" line of their Myspace they have: "Comedy/ Acoustic/ Rock."
Take what you will from that and we'll do a track-by-track rundown of their posted jams.
1.) "Delyla" You might remember a ubiquitous Top-40 Single about a lady of the same name (albeit correctly spelled in that instance.) And, ringing it at just under two minutes, this song (Fishlips') is that much less painful, and just as listenable (read: barely).
2.) "The Last Thing I Remember" This 6:8-tempo ballad has a little bit of a waltzy feel to it that's actually quite appealing; however, musically, it's sort of an inexplicable match for what is, lyrically, a hangover narrative: "What happened to the mirror, who broke the furniture? Did we have a party or did we have a fight?" This song is actually really well put-together: with its melancholy strumming and a gentle melody, with the right lyrics over it, this song could work a lot better than it does.
3.) "TimeCard" (inexplicably one word). "Punchin' in my time card, I'm still three sheets to the wind;" I'm picking up on a theme here! Another morning-after ditty-- probably my favorite of the bunch-- this song is a little more uptempo, still acoustic, and exhibits their best use of the sought-after Catchy Chorus. This is also their best use of backup vocals, with a pleasing harmonies on the chorus and throughout. However (and there's always a however, right?) this also contains some inexplicable horror-movie "MUAHAHAHA" overdubs (why, guys? Why?) and the positively cringe-worthy rhyme of "oh my my, oh hell yes" with "party dress" (...where have I heard that before? C'mon now. There's a difference between an homage and an all-out ripoff).
4.) "Billy's Lighter" I'm not entirely sure what this song is about... I think lighting a dog on fire? I guess it's not important...
This song, perhaps the most "country" of the bunch, is decorated with some bayou-harmonica for a pretty nice effect. It gets a little busy through, with some parts that end up sounding like they have 100 vocal parts.
5.) "If I Had a Hammer" Opening lines: "If I had a hammer/ I'd hammer your brains in/ Smash all your teeth out and bury you in the yard/ It wouldn't be hard." Comedy? This schizophrenic jingle, more than a little on the frightening side lyrically-speaking, and more than a little on the bland side musically-speaking, is another country tune... when I could ignore the scary lyrics and listen to the music and the melody (which took several listens to accomplish) I quite liked this song. But dude.
6.) "Lay Your Carpet" This contains another chorus I'm pretty fond of. I could see it as an intro/ montage song in a latter-day Adam Sandler movie. But when the vocal line dips from normal to an obnoxious growl, it's fist-clenchingly, eye-rollingly bad.
7.) "Alzheimers" Ok. I was about to say that I really liked this song! (Which I do!) But, in a strange and quite unprofessional (if I may say so) move, they included as part of this recording an OVER-TWO-MINUTE-LONG voicemail from their harmonica player, Muffin, re: quitting their band. I'm completely puzzled by this. Completely.
The bottom line. Fishlips: stop fucking around. I can tell that you guys are working with some good stuff musically and creatively. Take out the overdubs, the creepy vocal dips, the "comedy" and the goddamn voicemail-- and I'd love to see what happens.
[Cullen Anderson]
You might have guessed by now that writing about music is not my job; in fact, I work in advertising, and if I was going to write a commercial about Cullen Anderson, it would go something like this:
[VO {"voice-over," for the lay-person} by a smooth, almost too-smooth, like, MORMON-smooth voice: "Life is full of simple pleasures. Some say these are the best things in life. Meet Cullen Anderson."]
Believe it or not, that really is my job.
Anyway. I was privileged to be able jam with this dude last weekend. From what I remember it was a hell of a lot of fun. And somehow, he managed to impress me.
With gentle, four-chord guitar parts and an incredible voice-- a husky, vibrato-heavy croon vaguely reminiscent of John Popper or Chris Robinson-- Anderson weaves well-rounded, campfire-singalong-ready, acoustic easy-listeners. Aside from the relatively more-complicated "Get 2 U" (available on his Myspace; I highly recommend checking it out), which adds a drum part and electric guitar, they're all just stripped-down, acoustic-and-voice duos: simple, and a pleasure to hear: the kind of music that just makes you smile. Anderson is a wizard with vocal parts; using his voice as an instrument in and of itself, he takes the simplicity of acoustic-and-voice sound and ups the proverbial ante with another dimension of sound, allowing the vocal part to decorate the guitar sound, and not the other way around. Simply awesome.
He doesn't have any shows listed on his Myspace, but I have a feeling he'll be playing in a garage somewhere around here; I'll keep you posted.
[Dead Scene Radio]
Ok, ok, I can't really file DSR under a "recent discovery;" I've seen these guys several times in bars and basements all over Kalamazoo. But they have some exciting stuff going on and I'm tryin'a keep you posted, b!
With rumblings of a full-length TBR sometime next month, I think we're all pretty stoked... I know I am. At the forefront of Kzoo indie-pop, DSR concocts some of the catchiest stuff I've heard
Wisely starting their Myspace track-list with the poppy jam "Don't You Know," DSR weaves percussive, flashy guitar parts, intricate basslines and an adrenaline-surge of a chorus into a college-radio anthem the likes of which I haven't heard in a long time. After an ADD-conscious guitar solo, they tie it up with a clap-along chorus (the first word in catchy) toward the end, leaving the listener breathless and eager for the next track.
They follow suit throughout the rest of their tracks, reminiscent of everyone from Alkaline Trio to Belle and Sebastian to the Dead Kennedys. At least to a nerd like me.
Suffice it to say I'm stoked for their full-length, and even though I won't be able to catch them at
----> THE STRUTT THIS FRIDAY <----
I'm strongly urging you to.
Well, kids, that's all for today. In the works: EXCLUSIVE [t.v.j.] INTERVIEW with neo-glam hard rockers GHOSTS OF THE GREAT LAKES (featuring a new bass player, Ben Bojanich, formerly of Jealous Radio). Be on the lookout for this, as it is sure to be juicy.
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