Tracks
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: "Lower The Gas Prices, Howard Johnson"
(2005)
By Peter Hepburn | 10 January 2008
When I shot the strapping lads over at Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin an email to get some info for my recent review of the debut LP, Broom, I was figuring that their list of favorite artists probably read as something of a standard list of influential mid-90s indie acts or the Elephant 6 roster. Instead, I got an email back extolling the virtues of the Mommyheads, an overlooked indie pop act that broke up in 1997. Now, Michael Holt, the keyboardist for the Mommyheads, has teamed up with the boys of SSLYBY for a split release on the newly formed Catbird Records.
While Holt’s half of the album doesn’t much impress, SSLYBY’s half sounds more assured and better developed than plenty of the stuff they did for Broom. Though they throw in a bit of filler, they also pull out a few keepers. “Lower the Gas Prices, Howard Johnson” is one of these, a simple enough power pop tune, but with that something special added on that throws it over the top; think Handsome Western States-era Beulah.
In the case of “Lower,” it’s the grand ambition and sloppy glory of execution that really makes the track. The insistent rhythm guitar is always there somewhere low in the mix, every once and awhile amped up to the front and left to riff. The band is playing out the multi-tracking card here, letting the backing vocals ricochet along behind the lead to pretty convincing effect. They also continue to refuse to let their songs play out by the formula, throwing in a false endings and a number of quick instrumental shifts and abortive builds. It all comes together well; the arrangements manage to play smart and never go overboard. Also, how can you really complain about an indie rock song that quotes E.E. Cummings in the first line?
While Holt’s half of the album doesn’t much impress, SSLYBY’s half sounds more assured and better developed than plenty of the stuff they did for Broom. Though they throw in a bit of filler, they also pull out a few keepers. “Lower the Gas Prices, Howard Johnson” is one of these, a simple enough power pop tune, but with that something special added on that throws it over the top; think Handsome Western States-era Beulah.
In the case of “Lower,” it’s the grand ambition and sloppy glory of execution that really makes the track. The insistent rhythm guitar is always there somewhere low in the mix, every once and awhile amped up to the front and left to riff. The band is playing out the multi-tracking card here, letting the backing vocals ricochet along behind the lead to pretty convincing effect. They also continue to refuse to let their songs play out by the formula, throwing in a false endings and a number of quick instrumental shifts and abortive builds. It all comes together well; the arrangements manage to play smart and never go overboard. Also, how can you really complain about an indie rock song that quotes E.E. Cummings in the first line?