Curtains for You
What a Lovely Surprise to Wake up Here
Spark and Shine Records
7/10
There are two types of bands. The moody, highfalutin kind, obsessed with lyrics and imagery (vintage R.E.M., circa 1980’s-early 90’s), and the technical, melodic version (think The Beatles, and just about any band, British Invasion or otherwise, pre-1967). Curtains for You, definitely falls into the latter category. Despite their similarity to their idols, the Seattle based band is anything but derivative. Fusing the do-wop, rockabilly sound of previous eras with the grungy sensibility of their native city, they have managed to fashion an earnest yet prickly sound that is unique for our irony driven, snarky era.
The influence of The Beatles and early Pink Floyd is keenly felt in songs such as “The Nuclear Age” and “Dumb Angel.” Matthew Gervais’s vocals bring to mind early-Beatles era Lennon and McCartney. But don’t mistake them for one of the millions of Beatle clones. They have their own unique twist on the genre, with sardonic lyrics that would equal any a hipster band could come up with. It’s just hard to pay attention between the do-wop and the singing.
To be fair, a lot of the credit goes to the Gervais brothers’ Barrett-like sense of whimsy and dark humor, especially in songs like “Red Red Rose” and “Clanging of the Masses.” But it is really their vocal expertise (and that of their fellow band members, Nick Holman Peter Fedofsky and Dave Lawrence) that sets them apart from the herd of Seattle-Portland-LA bands on the scene at the moment. What they lack in nuance and subtlety, they make up for in due diligence to craft- and that’s more than can be said for many “indie bands” bands at the moment. Although not everyone will like their music (critics especially), their sincere style should not be overlooked. Nor, for that matter, should their talent.
At, $11, What a Lovely Surprise to Wake up Here is just the right thing to smooth a audiophile’s palatte.
–Jack Winn