Psychedelic rock for the undead.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Psychedelic, ROCK: Progressive Rock



Details:
A review by Marlon Frisby of Good Hodgkins -(www.goodhodgkins.com)

I receive an intriguing mental image when I think of this band. A young couple is eating lunch or milling around in their apartment, and they are having a joyous discussion about music. They muse about albums they want to purchase and gush about the artists who were in town last week. They start to pitch ideas on what bands they should go see next. After wracking his brainâwhich included several vain attempts of recalling concert posters from the last time he saw a band playâthe guy perks up, âI think we should see Other People.â The girl looks back at him and gasps. The guyâs eyes widen. He realizes what heâs done and quickly corrects, âThe band.â

I want this band to succeed. If not because they are innovative musicians, then because if they do, hilarity will ensue. The fan side of the indie music scene would become a lot more entertaining.

Other People are a young and inventive indie rock band from Los Angeles, California. Their self-released self-titled debut is stuffed with clever lyrical quips, stretchy voiced group vocals, and discrete references to the undead. It comprises a record of dreary spooky haunted tunes that arenât that sad. At times their theme and sound are comparable to an adolescent less keyboard/synth contingent Wolf Paradeâwithout keys the band implements tangled, start-stop, twinkling guitar parts.

Album opener âAttracts Ratsâ is a slow trot where part time lead vocalist Nate Michalski shifts from relationship uncertainty to mocking of the executive branchâthe sarcasm, satire, and irony are all heavyâand is rejoined by his bandmates on the chorus for an expressive chanting session. âBlack Dirtâ plays up the wonderful production, done by the bandâs own Charlie Lesoine, as sound effects swell about, intertwining beautifully blended guitars cavort, and a synth bass line mixes with the bass guitar. Will Bromellâs drumming hits harder and with energy (which contrasts his diligent time keeping on earlier tracks) during the rocking critique on human life, âHuman Beingsâ.

Still, while these early tracks will impress, it is hard not to fall in love with late hitter âPicture Frame Meâ. This song is performed by a hip electro drum beat that backs only delayed acoustic rhythm guitar and occasional interjections by the bass and the other guitar. The last verse is started with group vocals and the bandâs other lead vocalist Gabe Michalski eventually breaks out, âLong face, picture frame, breathe in and fill me with sky!â The album closer âThank You For Being Aliveâ displays the band at its creepiest. A softly and slowly played acoustic guitar is backed only by production effects, Gabeâs voice is scraped and tentative, and the falsetto of the backing vocals adds to the shivers.

One could make a living stressing how young and promising this band isâits youngest member is 18, its oldest is 22, and the rest fill in spots in numerical order in between. But Other People is a memorable album, and it deserves your attention. Itâs shallow to bring up their age at all because if the members of this band were in their thirties, this album would still be impressive.