Review → The Please & Thank Yous – Mind Your P’s and Q’s (2010)
The Please & Thank Yous - Mind Your P's and Q's
Chicago has spawned a whole damn lot of great bands. Screeching Weasel, Naked Raygun, Slapstick and every band that its members went on to play in (Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, etc.), plus many others. So it’s a musical city with a great scene. So when I hear of a promising new band from Chicago, I get stoked. And when I hear that their album will be coming out on the venerable Death to False Hope Records, I get doubly so. And it is with that in mind that I couldn’t wait to sit down with the debut full-length from Chicago’s The Please and Thank Yous.
The album kicks off with the jangly, quick-paced “Be a Tree… Che?” a great opener that’s there and gone before you know it. And it’s followed by the more low-key “Summer’s Over,” which begins with a quote from Mallrats. A truly underrated film. But anyway.
As the album progresses, there’s a noted jangle-pop influence here; like the boys are filtering the guitar work of Johnny Marr through a pop-punk lens, which has resulted in many comparisons to The Ergs!. The comparisons make sense, but aren’t the first band I’d put in the RIYL list; anyone going into this album hoping for Dorkrockcorkrod Part 2 is going to be sorely disappointed. Songs like “Bollywood Ending” call to mind more something similar to “Stinking of Whiskey Blues” from the Upstairs/Downstairs LP than, say, “Pray for Rain.” There’s a pop-punk thing going on here, but it’s not the Ramones-core pop-punk that’s “in” right now; rather, they’re more in the camp of the Lemuria-types, playing music that combines indie rock influences/sensibilities with that of pop-punk.
About halfway through the album comes a definite highlight, if not the best song on the record, “Fucking Honestly.” The chorus is infectious and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself singing “I’m all about fucking honestly” in inappropriate places. So high fives to the guys for a really great pop song.
Overall, this is a really fun record that shows a young band with a lot of promise. Definitely worth checking out. And, best of all, the album will be released on Death to False Hope, meaning it will be a free download. Ice Age Records will be putting it out on cassette, if that’s your thing.
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