In one of his more famous bits, comedian Patton Oswalt starts riffing on the KFC Famous Bowl, a conglomeration of mashed potatoes, chicken, corn, and gravy into a singular bowl. In this sketch, Oswalt makes light of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s curious need to provide adults their favorite comfort foods pre-mixed for easy and quick consumption, without the need to use utensils and other such accoutrement of civilized society. The criticism as comedy works because we’re used to having nearly instant access to anything and everything we want in terms of consumptive media, even if those things shouldn’t be combined together all willy-nilly.
Thus, even though the music of ILAD certainly isn’t a “failure pile in a sadness bowl” (as Oswalt describes KFC Famous Bowls), the overarching metaphor finds weight with me. Here There is a frustrating hodge-podge of sounds and styles that displays this otherwise quite talented act as having some form of musical multiple personality disorder. Three quite distinct personas appear on a regular basis – spacey jazz-pop, Son Volt/Wilco-esque alt-country, and Yes-styled light proggy pop – to take turns playing rather muddled atmospheric pop tunes. These three styles can certainly be quite complementary in the right hands (see A Ghost Is Born from Wilco and Songs In A&E from Spiritualized), but this record is an unappealing mish-mash of flavors.
Led by tracks like “December” and “Blackgold,” the alt-country textures here represent the mashed potato base of Here There’s bowl – thick, dense, and substantive. The band’s talent level, best represented by songs like “TV Sutra,” “Magazine,” “Tiny Dream,” and “I Just Stopped By,” serve as the chicken, as they are the meat of what the record could be. Continuing this metaphor even further, the vocals, both lead and harmony, are most certainly the corn in the recipe – the sweet little bits that surprise you and add balance out the salty content.
However, it’s the brown gravy of tracks like “Wish For A Flood,” “I’m Not Mean,” “Everybody,” and “Church” that makes the overall album rather bland. The men of ILAD are certainly capable musicians, whether it’s the syncopated jazz-like flair of the rhythm section or the ambient keyboard and synthesizer work, but this record isn’t very memorable as a whole. Sure, I’ve pointed out specific instances of what I’ve liked in terms of the individual elements, but Here There doesn’t have any sort of coherent personality to help it stand out from the pack. There aren’t really any hooks, rousing choruses, or anything else that make a lasting impression upon the listener. Yes, quasi-experimental jazzy-pop might not be the breeding group for a upbeat rock anthem, but don’t ever tell me that such acts are incapable of writing a catchy riff or three.
Admittedly, I’m not Patton Oswalt, and no one should ever be compared to a KFC Famous Bowl, but I feel that the parallels are a bit apt here. While more artists should intentionally attempt to blur the lines between genres, not everyone can accomplish such a task and either still retain the flavors of the original components or create a whole host of new ones. In the end, I longed to hear ILAD latch firmly upon one (or maybe two) of the three musical styles that I hear lumped together in the bowl that is Here There; alas, my wishes and musical taste buds were left unfulfilled.
July 24th, 2009 17:45
July 24th, 2009 17:53
July 27th, 2009 16:08
Either way, this band certainly can play, and in a variety of styles at that.
July 28th, 2009 14:25
Next, while I certainly feel that comparing anyone or anything to a KFC Famous Bowl can be seen as an insult, I felt that using as I did would create a striking, memorable image (since Patton Oswalt’s commentary on the Bowl is somewhat well-known and quite hilarious).
Thus, let me take your comments and conjectures at face value. If ILAD did have enough material for a double-disc release, there might have been a greater chance for the band to achieve stylistic coherency with its overall sound. Furthermore, if there really WAS that much material, I would have greatly preferred for ILAD to release four separate EP’s (much like Thrice did in 2007-2008 with its four EP’s about the elements or Jon Foreman did with the seasons). By doing so, the band would have been able to more aptly display its high level of performance talents and stylistic diversity in a more becoming/pleasing format.
In the end, I feel that the traditional idea of a “full-length” record has become rather passe. I would much rather see a band put out a regular slew of 7″ records and/or EP’s, set to be released every 4-6 months. This kind of creative output allows for a band to focus upon a few songs at a time and release them as soon as they’re ready, without the need to wait for a full 10-12 song record.
Does any of that make sense, Phil? I look forward to reading your response.
July 29th, 2009 08:34
August 7th, 2009 22:45