Ex-Boyfriends
Dear John
Absolutely Kosher
2006
Rating: 6.5 gay pickles out of 10
Different people think of different types of music when they hear the term “pop punk”. For some it means radio-friendly pap like Green Day or Blink 182; but for me, I think of Superchunk and Jawbreaker and San Francisco’s newest entry to this field, the Ex-Boyfriends. And while the Ex-BFs don’t really sound like those bands whom they share a descriptor with, they certainly seem to be coming from the same origins. To be sure, this SF trio floats more to the pop side of the spectrum, dashing their music liberally with plenty of “oohs” and “ahs” and that manner of business, but the pace of their songs, brevity of their tracks, and occasional crunch to their tone keeps them from being a pop band exclusively. Singer Colin Daly’s vocals may take some folks a listen or two to adjust to, as he sounds quite a bit like Robert Smith if he weren’t busy making maudlin synth-pop and instead took some trucker speed before performing.
Bottom of the Hudson
The Omaha Record
Absolutely Kosher
2003
Rating: 6 downed US Air planes out of 10
What an interesting little genre-hopping album this is by Bottom of the Hudson. Sometimes Notwist-style electro-pop, sometimes Pavement-ish indie riff rock, occasional Guided by Voices sounding jangly pop, so on and so on. Even though it’s all one band, it plays more like a mix a friend might make for you. There’s bound to be something on here for everyone, and if you’re lucky like me you’ll like almost all of it. There’s even a funny answering machine message at the end with some white trash-type fella telling them to stop playing ‘that damn reggae music’. Quite a likable record.
Two Guys
Recorded
Absolutely Kosher
2003
Rating: 6.5 rocky relationships out of 10
Even though Rob Crow isn’t in this band, somehow listening to Two Guys makes
me think of him. Maybe it’s because the gents who make up the band, Cameron and Ryan Jones, have played in some
of his hundreds of bands over the years. And whether it’s a matter of these dudes influencing Crow, or
vice versa, there are definitely plenty of similarities to the sound. Two Guy’s are most reminiscent of Heavy
Vegetable and Thingy (which Cameron played in), performing pop songs run through the angular, off-kilter rhythms like
you might find in math-rock bands like Don Caballero or Dilute. Like most of Absolutely Kosher’s releases, this
record is a great listen, and fans of Thingy or Heavy Vegetable won’t be disappointed.
Summer at Shatter
Creek
Summer at Shatter
Creek
Absolutely Kosher
2003
Rating: 7.5 paper mags out of 10
The curiously named Summer at Shatter Creek is the work of
one man, a Mr. Craig Gurwich, and what a man he is. I think we’ve all heard albums by "one man bands" that might
be enjoyable, but sound exactly like you might expect when only one person is playing all of the music – very
one dimensional, single personality-type stuff.
Somehow Mr. Gurwich manages to transcend this phenomena, creating
a very three dimensional sounding album that is just oozing electronics, but still sounds quite organic. There
are lots of warm, classic sounding organs and keyboards along with the prerequisite drums, guitars, and whatnot.
But the real story here is the man’s voice – and my god, what a voice it is. He possesses possibly my favorite falsetto
since Jeff Lynne of ELO, and that’s not something to be taken lightly. I’ve heard and read people mentioning it in
the same breath with words like "heavenly" and "angelic", and I’d be remiss to put up any sort of argument over the
pairing.
The Wrens
The Meadowlands
Absolutely Kosher
2003
Rating: 8 tangy fruit out of 10
Through all the label turmoil and bullshit, the Wrens finally emerged from the mess with this gem of a release; sounding like
a blend of all sorts of bands and styles, from Sparklehorse to Doves to orchestral pop to alt-country to
ambient soundscapes, the Wrens have come back from their seven year hiatus firing on all cylinders. Nearly gone is
the Pixies-ish intensity heard on their previous record "Secaucus," but there are still elements of it here and there
– not that you would really miss it, the beauty crafted in place of this missing aggression more than makes up the
difference. This record has already been named on the top ten lists of numerous music mags and reviewers, and
there is a good chance it will end up on mine as well. You can check out some tracks at the bands website, but
have your wallet handy because these songs will lure you into parting with your cash before you even know
it.
