Album: Pants Yell! - Received Pronunciation

Album: Received Pronunciation
Slumberland, 2009
Rating: ******* (7/10)

After a slew of really disappointing albums, it was nice to finally come across one that exceeded my expectations. Of course, it helped that my expectations were fairly low - I have tried to get into Boston-based indie poppers Pants Yell! a number of times and have always ended up bored and confused. I'd heard good things about the band but never managed to find a worthwhile melody among their songs.

But on Received Pronunciation, you'd have to try pretty hard to find even a minute without a strong melody. This is unmistakably what indie pop should be, sweet and understated, but catchy, youthful and fun. There's nothing edgy here, not even the seamless distortion of their labelmates, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - in fact, there's no distortion at all. Sure, that means this album isn't really my thing, but it succeeds in what it sets out to do. Andrew Churchman's voice is clear and in-tune but unextravagant, in the best of indie-boy tradition.

My main complaint about the album has to do with the lyrics, which should be a clue that I don't have any big complaints - lyrics, as long as they aren't unbearable, are pretty irrelevant to my enjoyment of music. But with such clear, out-front vocals, it would be nice if Churchman would just tell us what he's talking about. His songs seem like straightforward stories, but stories I couldn't quite follow, and I was left wondering if certain lines were related to one another or just happened to rhyme. On the other hand, he addresses one very empathetic song to a spider ("Spider"), so it's not all bad!

I wouldn't call this music twee, though a lot of people want to. It's just not that young or playful. It's mostly about liking girls who have boyfriends who are assholes, but not about kittens, rainbows and cupcakes. It may be young and innocent, but it doesn't play at being childish. And that's a good thing.

This ain't the album of the year, but for people who like lovely little restrained pop songs, it's a small treasure-chest without a bad song in the bunch.

[MySpace]

Live: Sisters, Pants Yell!

When: 4/11
Where: Dead Herring

Although I mainly went to the show at Dead Herring last week to check out Knight School, I managed to miss their entire set. That was partly because my friend and I got lost on the way. We thought we knew where the venue was, and ended up walking into the apartment of an elderly woman, who just stared at us from her couch. True story.

Once we found the right place, Knight School was already packing up their gear and the mysterious Sisters was taking the stage. Sisters is a two-man band that I've heard rumblings about but hadn't had a chance to check out yet. As it happens, I liked them even more than I thought I would. One of the privileged few members of the Death By Audio record label, Sisters have a certain amount of cred from that endorsement alone - before the existence of the label, the DBA family gave rise to two of NYC's best bands of the 2000's, A Place to Bury Strangers and Dirty on Purpose. That's gotta count for something.


Sisters (photo from myspace.com)
The two play primal noise pop with good-enough (though not exceptional) melodies and solid, tightly-constructed songs. The lo-fi guitar noise and unpolished vocals are delightfully rough, and the stripped down drumming on a stripped down drumset keeps everything down to earth. Sisters are clearly performers, even augmenting their set with a little light show that included the old Butthole Surfers' trick of tucking a strobe light under a floor tom. The lighting effects were on a small enough scale that they didn't distract or overpower the music, just added visual amplification of whatever was going on sonically.

Sisters isn't one of those bands that's great because it is doing something new. It's one of those bands that's great because it's boiled down something great to its essence - Sisters is the epitome of minimalist noise pop. If that's your kind of thing, Sisters are bound to satisfy. [MySpace]

Unfortunately, it will be hard for me to review The Pants Yell! objectively, because throughout their set, my attention was constantly being drawn away from the band by some very ill-mannered audience members - you know, the type who are there for the scene but couldn't give a fuck about the music, so they shout over it the whole time. Plus a few people of the type who didn't get enough attention from mom and dad so they have to try to take attention away from the performing band by cutting up. These individuals were only a small minority of the audience, but unfortunately, I managed to place myself right in their central headquarters. In any case, I digress.

I always find myself a little disappointed by Pants Yell! Their sound is a little too spare-yet-not-gritty for my particular tastes. For a band so highly touted in the pop world, I also find their melodies surprisingly unmemorable. But they aren't a bad listen. Drummer Casey Keenan, who appears to be the only member of the band with any training or proper technique, anchors the band well so the other two can carry out their understated pop mission without a stumble.

To my ears, the music's quiet undercurrent of sadness only dampens its songwriting, but there's inevitably something rewarding about hearing a band this earnest lay it all out there. If you don't need the grungy roar of distorted guitars or the syrupy elation of uptempo melodies, this band may be for you. If you do need those things, though, Pants Yell! can be a bore, and it isn't quite my cup of tea. [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Real Estate, Bob Mould + more

TONIGHT, Thursday, April 9

Bob Mould @ Joe's Pub | E Village, Manhattan | $20
Bob Mould, the main songwriter behind Husker Du and an accomplished solo musician, will be playing Joe's Pub tonight. It would be difficult to overstate the influence Mould and Husker Du had on the development of American independent rock music. With his deeply personal lyrics and poppy yet thoughtful melodies, he's a songwriter of rare talent and inspiration to countless others.

MySpace

Action Painters, Team Genius, Naked Hearts @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
This is an outstanding line-up! Action Painters play your typical indie rock, but far better than most of their peers - they are one of New York's best. Team Genius has long been a favorite of mine on this blog - a multi-instrumental pop group that can warm even an icy heart like mine. And while I wasn't wild about the Naked Hearts' last release, they are a great live band, a gritty boy-girl duo (plus drummer) with noisy, catchy rock songs you won't forget.

Action Painters MySpace | Team Genius MySpace | Naked Hearts MySpace

TOMORROW, Friday, April 10

Beluga @ Pianos | LES, Manhattan | $10
I just wrote up Beluga! If you're too lazy to read that, they are a mostly-female garage-punk band with songs that are at once melodic and aggressive and a front-woman who screams her head off and writhes on the floor. Can you think of anything better? Seriously, can you?

MySpace

Saturday, April 4

Pants Yell!, Knight School @ Dead Herring | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $?
Pants Yell! are a super-fine pop band from Boston who seem to have been laying a bit low lately, but are now back to be awesome again. I don't know Knight School but I've had them recommended by a very reliable source - I can't tell you who without giving away my identity (at least to him), but trust me, he's someone with good taste. A band called Sisters are playing too and I can't remember what I know about them, but I think it's something good. Plus, though I've not yet had occasion to go to Dead Herring, it's rumored to be one of the best DIY venues in town.

Pants MySpace | Knight School MySpace

Real Estate @ Pianos | LES, Manhattan | $10
Real Estate is the very latest buzz-band from the Woodsist clan (Wavves, Vivian Girls, Woods, etc). They are hot shit, but not so hot that you can't see them at a place like Pianos - and they aren't even headlining. Get 'em while they're fresh! Errr...something.

MySpace

News: NYC Popfest Line-Up Announced

The line-up for NYC Popfest has been announced. It seems to be scaled down considerably this year, with most shows taking place at Cake Shop or similarly small venues. They have smaller-name bands as well, so it looks like a low-key year. Here's the schedule:


Thursday May 14th
Venue: Cake Shop

Knight School (NYC)
Soft City (NYC)
Dream Bitches (NYC)
The Metric Mile (NYC)
My Teenage Stride (NYC)
THE BALLET (NYC)

* * * * * * * * * *

Friday May 15th
Venue: Don Hills

Don Lennon (NYC)
The Tartans (CA)
( secret band )
Liechtenstein (SWEDEN)
CATS ON FIRE (FINLAND)

+ Mondo Indie Dance Party

* * * * * * * * * *

Saturday May 16th (FREE!!)
Venue: Cake Shop

Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (MI)
The Hat Company (OH)
Strega (NYC)

* * * * * * * * * *

Saturday May 16th
Venue: Bell House

Computer Perfection (MI)
Eux Autres (CA)
The Secret History (NYC)
Pants Yell! (MA)
THE RADIO DEPT. (SWEDEN)

+ Indiepop Dance Party

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunday May 17th
Venue: Cake Shop

Boy Genius (NYC)
Afternoon Naps (OH)
Very Truly Yours (IL)
The Smittens (VT)
Rose Melberg (CANADA)
The Icicles (MI)
Casper and the Cookies (GA)
BURNING HEARTS (FINLAND)


The only day I recommend checking out is Saturday, featuring The Secret History, Pants Yell! and (most excitingly) Radio Dept. Thursday night, it might be worth going to see Knight School and My Teenage Stride, but they're both around the city, so it's not going to be your only chance.