First up is Voxtrot, the little band from Austin that was the Belle (& Sebastian) of the blogosphere for their similarities to said band on their first two EPs -- the pitch-perfect Raised by Wolves and its solid follow-on Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, Your Biggest Fan -- before dropping their full-length last year. And up until that point, the praise was warranted -- there was a joyfulness and innocence on those first two EPs that was very much reminiscent of Belle & Co., right down to lead singer Ramesh Srivastava's fey (and faux) British accent and cutesy lyrics of love and loss. But it wasn't mere aping, devoid of passion or creativity -- the emotion and exuberance were there, and the band delivered a blast of pure Britpop that was all the more powerful for each of the EPs' short five-song duration. It was short, simple, and irresistible.On the full-length debut, though, it seems like the pressure got the better of them and they began fussing with things too much -- the emotion feels constrained, the production feels hackneyed, and the overall experience is one of slightly overwrought desperation; the overly earnest kid in school who tries just a little too hard to be liked. Which is not to say it's all bad -- there are moments that capture the old fire, such as the delicate opener "Introduction," the jaunty "Stephen," and the pure gem "Kid Gloves" -- but overall they fall far short of their earlier efforts.
As a result, we'll just have to luxuriate in the brilliance of those first two offerings. And to be honest, Wolves is as close to perfection as you can over the course of five songs -- the bouncy title track, the sing-along chorus of "Missing Pieces," and the stately beauty of "Long Haul." All make for an exuberant half-hour, but none moreso than the following, the pristine "The Start of Something," which is just a purely perfect pop song. Enjoy it here (with an unintentionally hilarious fan video by Nina):
The second faulty EP-to-LP conversion comes from Syracuse's Ra Ra Riot, who sound something like the Shins with a string section, almost as if they talked Andrew Bird into dropping by the studio with a cello and violin. Their self-titled 2007 EP was a rush -- from the smoldering "Ghosts under Rocks" to the aptly imposing "Everest" and the sweet lovenote "Can you Tell," it was a rollicking good listen. (Which could explain why four of its six songs show up on the full-length.) While recording the debut, though, their drummer drowned and it seems like that weight -- naturally so -- bogged down their finishing the project.Which is probably why what's left feels sort of rushed -- the new material seems not fully formed (two exceptions being "Oh, La" and "St. Peter's Day Festival," which capture the magic of their first release) and the strongest songs by far are the ones that already appeared on the EP -- sort of like the band just wanted to get out of the studio and put something out on the street. Not that that's a bad thing (or that you can blame them) -- with 75% of their EP showing up and the couple of new songs that pass muster you've still got a pretty decent ten-song debut, it's just not the fully-formed blast you were hoping for. Check out the best thing on both of them, the shuffling bounce of "Dying is Fine." (And are those the dudes from the Rembrandts?! Looks like THEEEEEY walked...five...hun...dred...miles right into the Riot's video...)
Last up is Jets Overhead, a nifty band from Canada who deliver both the best debut AND, more importantly, all their music for free on their website so you can see whether they're your cup of tea or not with no penalty. Sounding like a cross between the fuzzed up rock of early, not-yet-crazy Dandy Warhols and the reverbed harmonizing of the Vines, these guys make the transition from a raw, sparse EP to a more polished and refined full-length without suffering some of the same pitfalls as the aforementioned bands.There are a couple songs that don't quite get off the ground (or jets that don't quite get overhead, if you will), but on the whole it's a solid appearance on everyone's radar screen. "Killing Time," "Shadow Knows," and "Seems so Far" all swoop confidently out of the speakers, while down-tempo tracks like the titular "Bridges" help balance out the attack. And you have to respect a band confident enough to put all their music out for free. (Before Radiohead and Nails got all the ink for doing so.)
As mentioned in the lead, the key to all three of these write-ups is simplicity -- in trusting your instincts and releasing the music that's nearest to your heart, while blocking out the chorus of voices second guessing your every move. This isn't to say there aren't alternate ways of doing these things or suggestions that may yield a better, more refined product, but in at least two of these cases it seems the early innocence, exuberance, and confidence got muffled in a sea of nay-saying and turned into something it shouldn't really have been. I guess the moral is to trust your gut and trust what got you where you are, and not treat every newcomer's word that you pick up along the way as gospel. So check out the sampling of at least one band who did just that and check out this track off their EP, the Kinks-y guitar riffed "Addiction" here:
Until next time, my friends -- see you in a couple months...
--RdS
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