My band got another good review of our E.P. This time by AbsolutePunk.net.
Enjoy!
They Mean Us - Friendship Lottery
Posted on 02-12-08 by Blake Solomon
Record Label: Look Again Media
Release Date: November 6, 2007
The best quotes aren't necessarily the ones you remember word for word. No, they are the ones leading you into further thought and recollection. Don't get tripped up in the eloquence of someone else's diction or prose; focus on their big idea. An instrumental band such as They Mean Us lacks the simplest of identifiers: a voice. Their words of wisdom won't be placed in blogs or tearjerker away messages. But they are no less memorable than other deft wordsmiths. Their lasting arrangements are not weighed down by opinions or mantras, so the context in which these songs thrive becomes all the more unique. Take each wavering violin strum ("Pickle Seals") or tinkering xylophone ("Wave Mustaine") as your own, form them into memories and hold on to them for dear life.
They Mean Us aren't heavy listening by any means. The songs found within Friendship Lottery don't spend ages building up into spacey climaxes. Rather, their music uses more time searching for a new time signature or guitar tone. "Dan Mason" hits a point where other bands might lose the audience, but They Mean Us lead us into the chaos like a mother escorting her children across the street. A violin slowly fills the background while cymbals and bass drums occupy the left ear. During all this, a climbing riff overtakes the right ear, and yet, each instrument exists perfectly in its own little space. No sound becomes lost in the complicated arrangement. Moments like this are why They Mean Us rise above other cheery/mathy instrumental groups. "Armando Is A Velociwapta" eases itself in with an organic (but electronic) drumbeat and opaque, hanging synth notes. The tempo picks up a bit and They Mean Us release every ounce of their collective groovy-ness into the world, all while a violin softly mourns over feedback. (I don't know why, but the violin always sounds weepy to me.)
An uncharacteristically heavy riff begins closer "Better Than Japanese Fun Glasses." But just as quickly as it begins, the playful ringing of a xylophone begins to mimic the next shifting, melodic guitar riff. This song also finds the band using reverb to give themselves a little extra space to create magic. They Mean Us have a sly way of faking the listener out. In the midst of this "extra real estate," a driving bass drum picks up speed and force, making an enveloping climax seem imminent. However, rather than doing the expected, They Mean Us send us right back into a bouncy riff and keyboard section. It seems a bit blue balls-esque, but the intricacies of the guitar picking and compositions more than make up for a lack of brute strength and sound. Friendship Lottery works like a sunny spring day. It energizes without being too forceful. I shouldn't have to say this, but for the sake of completeness: music like this is few and far between. Revel in it.
Recommended If You Like: To Be A High Powered Executive..., This Is A Process Of A Still Life, serendipity, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson, wordy names
Enjoy!
They Mean Us - Friendship Lottery
Posted on 02-12-08 by Blake Solomon
Record Label: Look Again Media
Release Date: November 6, 2007
The best quotes aren't necessarily the ones you remember word for word. No, they are the ones leading you into further thought and recollection. Don't get tripped up in the eloquence of someone else's diction or prose; focus on their big idea. An instrumental band such as They Mean Us lacks the simplest of identifiers: a voice. Their words of wisdom won't be placed in blogs or tearjerker away messages. But they are no less memorable than other deft wordsmiths. Their lasting arrangements are not weighed down by opinions or mantras, so the context in which these songs thrive becomes all the more unique. Take each wavering violin strum ("Pickle Seals") or tinkering xylophone ("Wave Mustaine") as your own, form them into memories and hold on to them for dear life.
They Mean Us aren't heavy listening by any means. The songs found within Friendship Lottery don't spend ages building up into spacey climaxes. Rather, their music uses more time searching for a new time signature or guitar tone. "Dan Mason" hits a point where other bands might lose the audience, but They Mean Us lead us into the chaos like a mother escorting her children across the street. A violin slowly fills the background while cymbals and bass drums occupy the left ear. During all this, a climbing riff overtakes the right ear, and yet, each instrument exists perfectly in its own little space. No sound becomes lost in the complicated arrangement. Moments like this are why They Mean Us rise above other cheery/mathy instrumental groups. "Armando Is A Velociwapta" eases itself in with an organic (but electronic) drumbeat and opaque, hanging synth notes. The tempo picks up a bit and They Mean Us release every ounce of their collective groovy-ness into the world, all while a violin softly mourns over feedback. (I don't know why, but the violin always sounds weepy to me.)
An uncharacteristically heavy riff begins closer "Better Than Japanese Fun Glasses." But just as quickly as it begins, the playful ringing of a xylophone begins to mimic the next shifting, melodic guitar riff. This song also finds the band using reverb to give themselves a little extra space to create magic. They Mean Us have a sly way of faking the listener out. In the midst of this "extra real estate," a driving bass drum picks up speed and force, making an enveloping climax seem imminent. However, rather than doing the expected, They Mean Us send us right back into a bouncy riff and keyboard section. It seems a bit blue balls-esque, but the intricacies of the guitar picking and compositions more than make up for a lack of brute strength and sound. Friendship Lottery works like a sunny spring day. It energizes without being too forceful. I shouldn't have to say this, but for the sake of completeness: music like this is few and far between. Revel in it.
Recommended If You Like: To Be A High Powered Executive..., This Is A Process Of A Still Life, serendipity, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson, wordy names
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
like finding treasure..