High Bias aural fixations
April 20, 2003

ABERDEEN
Homesick and Happy to Be Here
(Better Looking)
Produced by the Mighty Lemon Drops' David Newton, Aberdeen's debut album Homesick and Happy to Be Here practically overdoses on sweet pop music. That the band comes from Palm Desert, California is no surprise, as the bright West coast sunshine and balmy weather seems to be as major an influence on the band as any specific musicians. Singer/bassist Beth's pretty coo was created to sing these sugary melodies; guitarist/singer Johnny and the rest of the band know exactly how to apply the right amounts of syrup or crunch as required. Of course, like all good sweetpop bands, Aberdeen hides quite a bit of angst and regret behind its smile. "Don't look down but you were looking back down again," Beth sings in "Sunny in California," with an ambivalent emotional edge that's mirrored in the album's title. The catchy bossa nova nugget "Clouds Like These" ponders the end of a love affair, while the gorgeous ballad "Thousand Steps" is blatantly sad and forlorn. "She meant the world to me/The world that was crumbling/How could this be/That she no longer needs me?" Beth plaintively sings, before unconvincingly insisting "I'm all right now" as Johnny croons "Be my sunshine" in the background. But it's obviously too late to be anyone's sunshine. It would be easy to dismiss this band as just another indie pop band, but Aberdeen has the heart and melodic clout to proudly stand head and shoulders above its brethren. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Primitives, Belle & Sebastian, Girlfriend

THE CAPITOL YEARS
Jewelry Store
(Feel/Full Frame)
Expanded from a one man studio project into an actual band, the Capitol Years rock out on their EP Jewelry Store. Led by singer/songwriter Shai, Son of Eli (that's how he's credited on the sleeve, swear to god), the Philadelphia quartet presents six striking examples of contemporary garage pop. These guys are well aware of rock & roll's roots in R&B and C&W, but this is no roots rock band. Like many of the great acts of the 60s, CY adds catchy pop hooks to a bluesy rock & roll base, like Cheap Trick recombining with Chuck Berry. The result is winning songs like "Jet Black," "Lucky Strike" and the snarling "River Raid," which will induce singing along and air guitar in equal measure. Shai is an exceptionally strong traditionalist songwriter, and the band plays his tunes with enthusiasm and skill. If the EP is this good, a full-length record should be a doozy. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Kinks, Guided By Voices, the Action

DRUNK HORSE
Adult Situations
(Tee Pee)
The Bay Area of California, which includes San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, is well-known as a haven for socially-aware, intelligent, ground-breaking American rock. So how does that explain Drunk Horse? Led by singer/guitarist Eli Eckert, the Oakland quartet eschews anything complicated or political, preferring to just get down and rawk its brains out. Or so it seems. While the band's third album Adult Situations resonates with lumbering rhythms, fat guitar riffs and Eckert's irritated bawl, there's more going on here that simply braindead boogie. The guitar licks come fast and furious, but they do more than simply hit you over the head; there's quite a bit of finesse hidden in these arrangements. The multi-layered "Ascension Strut" has as much progressive rock in its arrangement as stoner metal. "Company Man" tells the story of a CIA agent supplying drugs to Latin American crime czars, while "Lube Job" follows a gigolo on his rounds. "One Dollar Records" celebrates the pleasures of same, while the thorny "The Bitch is Bach" pays tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach. ("Let me tell you 'bout a man/A Well-Tempered man," Eckert growls, with no discernible irony.) Lyrics like "I'm sick of all this loathing/And I can't seem to find my clothing" should be a clue: this is a band with a sense of satirical humor as heavy as its bottom end—just check out the cover and its accompanying sleeve photo. Drunk Horse definitely creates Adult Situations in which you won't be ashamed to participate. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Raging Slab, Queens of the Stone Age, Puny Human

HELLO DEFECTIVE
Plastic Hearts
(Element 115)
Oklahoma's Hello Defective have in its new EP Plastic Hearts a nice little slice of psychedelic pop. Of course, Oklahoma is already known as a haven for such stuff, thanks to That Other Band, you know, the one with the burning mouth that wears animal costumes on stage. Fortunately, HD, led by guitarists Kirby and Armitage, has the solid songwriting chops and clear-eyed melodic vision to be more than just a clone of its state's best-known band. (Though Kirby's undeniable vocal resemblance to Wayne Coyne doesn't help.) Besides, the keening synth and hearty vocal riff of "This One is Mine" and the gentle guitars, sparkling organ and instantly appealing melody of the title track would be standouts on anyone's album. With Plastic Hearts, Hello Defective has entered the crowded field of psych pop with a winner. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Flaming Lips, Summer Hymns, Neutral Milk Hotel

LOVESLIESCRUSHING
Voirshn
(Projekt)
Singer Melissa Arpin-Henry and guitarist/processor Scott Cortez, AKA Loveliescrushing, have been doing the post-shoegazer dreampop thang since the early 90s. The duo's latest album Voirshn finds them pretty much abandoning traditional song structure entirely for an hour of ethereal guitar swells, tape effects and breathy ghost vocals. No lyrics, no obvious melodies, no real rhythm, except for the occasional sound of plectrum hitting pickup—just ten gibberishly named tracks of what's no doubt meant to be soothing and/or haunting sonics. Some cuts, like ".juhl" and ".ckaif," have a certain charm, but for the most part these songs sound like intros to other, more expansive tracks. For many folks, of course, this will be sheer bliss. But for those expecting something a bit more structured, Voirshn is likely to be music for heavy sedation. Michael Toland

For fans of: Steve Roach, Michael Brook, Brian Eno

THE PARTY OF HELICOPTERS
Please Believe It
(Velocette)
Hailing from the unlikely rock Mecca of Kent, Ohio, the Party of Helicopters plays its own particular brand of smorgasbord rock on its third album Please Believe It. Borrowing melodic ideas and dynamics from subgenres as diverse as emo, arena metal, dreampop and whatever you call that herky-jerky punk rock that Fugazi plays, this Party doesn't let the listener get too comfortable with its direction for long. Guitarist Jamie Stillman is the main soundshaper here, using knotty riffs and metallic textures to bend and shape the tunes to his will. Bassist Ryan Brannon and drummer Cory Race easily follow every twist and turn. Amazingly, no matter how screwy the arrangement, the musicians never forget to highlight the melody. This is due in no small measure to singer Joe Dennis, whose high, pretty voice takes the edge off even the sharpest lick. "Cover Me," "Rising Up is Hard Work" and "Brutal Enigma" are all pop songs of a sort, even if they're from an alternate universe. Of course, the band falls a little too often into the familiar trap of being impressive more than appealing, but the right balance will come with maturity. The Party of Helicopters works hard to not sound like anybody else, and on Please Believe It mostly succeeds. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Shudder to Think, Jawbox, Trusty

THE VENUE
Mmhm!
(Bella Union)
With the exception of drummer Hans Ekman, a Swedish music veteran, the young men in Nordic combo the Venue look barely old enough to start college. So it's a mystery how, on Mmhm!, such fresh-faced cherubs could be so good at playing a style of rock & roll that was almost 20 years out of date by the time they were born. But sure enough, the Venue plays mid-60s power pop as if it's in actuality a long-lost band from 1965. Its R&B-based hooks, ringing guitars, sugary harmonies and lovelorn lyrics wouldn't have been out of place on Shindig. While the production definitely pays homage to the sound of an analog garage, the band is smart enough to know that what makes the music the original 60s groups made last was not "authenticity" but songs. And the Venue have songs in spades. "So Much Too Much," the scowling "Love Monster" and "What's In His Head?" spill over with hooks, good feeling (even when they're about sad subjects) and boyish enthusiasm. Don't be at all surprised if after one pass you find yourself singing along to tunes called "A Deadly Buzz" or "Digesting Time." There's nothing new going on here, as the band itself would no doubt be the first to admit, but the Venue plays this old-fashioned rockin' pop with such obvious joy it truly matters not a whit. Give Mmhm! a listen and you'll make the same satisfied sound. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: early Who, the Coral, the Smithereens' first couple of albums

Copyright © 2003 High Bias