Ladies and gentlemen, imagine for me if you will, a handful of bands such as Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas and The Papas, a sprinkling of the Seattle Indie scene, with some dashes of Debbie Harry, new wave, and a big ol' cupful of artpop. Now throw that whole strange assortment into a blender. What would you get? The Weekend Lovers.
The album opens with "Baby," a laid-back indie pop rock tune that immediately sets the tone for the whole record. Truth be told, when I was introduced to the band I was a little worried that I would absolutely detest their sound. They are inspired by some of my least favorite bands to ever exist. But I was pleasantly surprised. These guys are the perfect band to get into for the hipster college crowd who claims they love Fleetwood Mac, but they actually don't. Knowing some lyrics to "The Chain" doesn't make you a real fan, kiddo. Sorry, but the truth hurts sometimes.
Each track flows almost seamlessly into the next on this album, which is great if you're trying to relax and create a "vibe." Weekend Lovers are quite honestly the ultimate vibe band. There is an exciting tempo change just under halfway through the record, where we really see the blend of Seattle indie and artpop come to life. "Big As The Dark" and its chaser "Older" are probably the grungiest tracks on the record, and what a welcome addition they are. I only wish that "Big As The Dark" didn't open with such a loud, harsh high pitched alarm-like noise.
For the most part, every track on this record reminds me of some of Debbie Harry's vocals from Blondie, specifically on tracks like "Union City Blue," where you can tell the vocalist is really belting, but in the mix she is turned down so as not to create to heavy of a sound. Basically it's to avoid sounding like she's yelling, like Heart and The B-52's do.
While the record does create a consistent chill grungy artpop vibe, I have to mention my issue with the way the album is mixed. Everything melds together because they are all the same level. Even the guitar solos blend into everything else. It's like listening to stonewashed jeans. Nice, but just mellow and faded. And this is a shame, because if you really dig into each track you can hear some really great elements there. The choruses are catchy, the vocalist has a great sound and talent, and the instrumentation itself compliments these vocals beautifully.
Full disclosure, and this will come as no surprise to any of you who have read my blog before, but I think my favorite element on this record are the harmonies. Especially prominent on the George Michael cover "Father Figure." They really shine (even the mixing) on the more upbeat and faster tempo-ed tracks on this record (looking at you, "Larvae Love.") They have some great potential here, and I believe if they polished and perfected their mixing they would have something truly special.
I Love U In Real Life - Weekend Lovers
11 - 6 - 2020
1. Baby
2. Me
3. 2Soon
4. Big As The Dark
5. Older
6. Lost In Face
7. Father Figure
8. Larvae Love
9. The Moon On Mars
Favorite Track: Larvae Love
Least Favorite Track: Baby
No comments:
Post a Comment