The Grouchy Gaijin's Thoughts on Music and Such

So last night after we took care of some more mundane things that are involved when you move your family across the ocean I thought to myself I need some good music .  That's when I opened an e-mail from The Fast Romantics telling me of their upcoming debut album and wondering if I'd give it a listen.

The first thing I noticed is that they are out of Calgary.  Now in every stereotype there is a grain of truth, the last two bands I reviewed from the Great White North really impressed me and I wondered if this would be the hat trick.  It is.  (What is going on over there??) I dig these guys a lot and all I can say is thanks for the free album guys.

So what kind of music is this?  Pretty straight forward Rock and Roll with an R and B influence - complete with a sneering singer who can camp it up in such a way that the listener feels like he is in on an inside joke.  Its good.  Musically I like what they do - their guitar cranks just enough to let you know the man can play without giving the impression that the rest of the band is there to just support him. (This isn't metal.)  The bass and drums do their job while from time to time laying down an off the wall groove that works.  I like the use of the keyboard to add fill to the songs - they keys don't take the lead, but they complement the rhythm section nicely while at the same time give the guitar a soulful backdrop to lay licks on top of - very nice.

Track 1: Spooning the Gorilla - Excellent choice for an opening song.  I dig the opening.  The piano starts the song with a simple 1 2 3 4 count while the drums come in with an accented bass beat and  the guitar lays down some nice riffs.  This builds until we hear the singer snarl out the first few lines - this is a wicked emotional rant, not in an Emo way but in something akin to Bo Diddley if he had been born 75 years later.  About half way through we hear the bass go off on a tangent that shows us he can do more than play in the background.  At the very end the drummer opens up as if to say "Dudes, its my turn now".  I like this song.

Track2: Sleepy Jean - the same vibe from the first song continues albeit a bit faster.  This song has a Cheap Trick vibe to it.  Since Cheap Trick is one of my all time favorite bands that is a good vibe indeed.  The singer reminds me of Robin Zander. Listen here darling dear give me money I'm afraid of Rock and Roll.  I'm a dog without his bone yeah - so let me go! / I'm a creepy weird-o - so let me go! Once again the bass and drums do some cool stuff while the guitar lets you know he has a few things to say as well.  The chorus reminds me a lot of Cheap Trick.

Track 3: Money Mouth - Until the piano came in I thought this was a slightly slowed down Iggy Pop cover.  The song has a groove - Iggy's rhythm tracks usually do.  I enjoy the guitar solo a lot and the chorus is melodic to boot.

Track 4: How do you do - Grinding guitar and hypnotic bass/drums provide a platform for the singer to tell a story.  What exactly he is telling us about I'm not sure but his vocals fill the space between musical jams well enough.  Man, I like this band.  They seem to be having a great time with each member vying for your attention as they all play off a very simple structure.

Track 5: The Soup Song - this is a melodic song that sounds Doo Wop influenced to me.  The singer croons while a psychedelic guitar plays in the background.  This song reminds me of a lot of stuff by Danthedan.  Dan rocks and so does this song.  I like the old horror flick vibe of the guitar and drums at the end.

Track 6: Casablanca - a gloomy song about a breakup I think. (He calls some girl a greedy cow.)  The keyboard provides even more of a gloomy feel as the guitar plays a simple riff and the drums keep  time with light high-hat work and a heavy bass drum. I like the cymbal at the end.  I really like the singer's voice. (You greedy cow).

Track 7: Hallways - More gloomy bass and minimal guitar as the piano keeps time.  This guy sings so softly but still sounds so pissed off - I dig it. At 1:16 the band opens up for a bit in a slow but loud jam while the singer moans - then at 1:46 the music grows soft again.  He even uses brushes on the drums.  At 2:11 the band opens up and starts a thundering migration toward the end of the song making time for the guitar to pull out some nice licks while the singer lets his anger fly and the rest of the band matches him in intensity.  I like this song a lot more than I did the first time I listened to it.

Track 8: Stop Me - I like the drums a lot!  By this time this is what I expect to hear.  Good guitar, solid bass and a singer whose voice I like.  Toward the end of the song they let the keyboard really open up.  I'm reminded of the Cars - I like the Cars.

Track 9: Modern Eyes - Funky blues is what it is.  Listen to this song.  Its just soulful, gritty R and B - the kind I cut my teeth on.  This is one song in which I think the singer gets in the way a bit.  The rest of the band is on such a soulful rant I'm distracted when he sings.

Track 10: Gravity Pope - Is that a killer title or what?  At first I thought I had a short in my headphones then the music started.  I like the guitar, bass and drums.  The keyboard gets on my nerves and again the singer is a bit of a distraction.  The guitar, bass and drums make the song though.  The keyboard is less annoying in the middle of the song when he isn't playing that Twilight Zone like run.

Track 11: Mr. Magoo - Excellent song to end the album.  They open up all the stops and the band wails with everyone getting a chance to shine as they groove through this track.  They even added horns. Nice!  Listen to this song!

All in all I dig these guys a lot.  I hope they get signed soon as according to their website/My Space page they are unsigned.  What's the bottom line?

Grouch rating : 4 out of 5 scowls.

Dudes, if you play Sweden let me know.  I'd love to see your show.

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