Customer Reviews

Pretender

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, let me say that in no way, shape, or form am I a personal friend of this band. Some Dutch kid on an eels message board told me I might like this disc, so I checked it out, and it's been playing on my mp3 player ever since. These guys just flat out sound like they're having a great time, and even though the disc is a bit short, the infectious energy still runs through my head constantly. Nine guys in the band? Great. I think they're at a moment when their youth and pure "happy to be alive" vibe serves them perfectly. Someday I'll stop playing this disc in my car, but I don't see that taking place before the end of the summer...this is roll down your windows and sing along music for 2007.

Like the last reviewer, I have zero connection with this band. I discovered them through a Kevin Bacon-like multiple degrees of separation:

- Minneaoplis Star Tribune recommended a band called a Mouthful of Bees.
- I checked out Mouthful of Bees, but didn't like them.
- The same record label has these guys, with one of the worst band names ever.
- I check out their myspace page for some strange reason, and discover a set of great songs from a band that I'm guessing is wonderful live.

"The Pretender" album has a strong majority of very well written songs, with "Hold On, Cmon" and "The Man Trying to Outfox Us All" (amongst other very good songs) having great hooks and melodies. Their myspace live version of "Jumpin Jean-Luc" is extremely contagious, but is unfortunately not captured very well on this album.

The album probably deserves only 3 stars (I gave them the Minneapolis homer bonus up to 4 stars), but I still highly recommend it for people looking to discover some up and coming bands with a lot of writing talent. I'm guessing the recording was done on a bit of a budget (I've been there myself as a musician) - hope they get a chance to record on a higher league studio level. It would be cool to see how they could do.

Being from Minneapolis, I hope to see them live sometime. They must be having fun, in order to keep 9 members working together in a band. That's a feat in itself. Keep up the good work - I'm looking forward to future songs and albums from this band.