O Pioneers!!! - Neon Creeps

Here it is, the first great album of 2009. O Pioneers!!! is a pair of guys from Houston, TX, who have released a bunch of EPs and split 7″s with various bands (including the previously-mentioned split 7″ with Asian Man Records’ Mike Park). This is their second 12″, following their self-titled album. They play minimalist, muscular, gritty pop-punk. This record is their latest, and is out on Asian Man Records.

The band seems to specialize in midtempo rockers. There’s not a whole lot of blistering, lightspeed guitarwork here, instead they focus on driving rhythms to back up the throaty “singing.” The vocals remind me strongly of early Hot Water Music (Chuck, not Chris), particularly on opener “Saved By the Bell Was a Super Good Show.” Yeah, the titles of the songs are- keeping with modern trends- kind of ridiculous.

I’d say, on first listen, “Stressing the Fuck Out” is probably the strongest song on the album. It’s irresistably catchy, while also being a good introduction to the band’s sound. And if you like that song, you’ll probably enjoy the rest of Neon Creeps.

The album finds the band sticking with what they know, while throwing in enough variation to keep things from getting too repetitive. After the first two songs, they have the courtesy to slow things down with the post-punk-ish “Dead City Sound.” Though the vocals get a bit stale after a while; the singer doesn’t have quite the ability of Chuck Ragan, though he enunciates better than Chuck did on any of Hot Water Music’s records, so point for being able to figure out what on earth he’s singing about. Which often has little to nothing to do with the song title.

If you’re a fan of Hot Water Music-style post-hardcore, this band will be right up your alley, and this album is a great place to start getting into the band. I don’t know that it will attract a whole lot of new listeners, but here’s hoping.

Under the Influence vol. 3

Unusual entry today. Instead of an album, I’m going to talk about two 7″ records that came out this year.

First up, is volume 3 of Suburban Home’s Under the Influence series. The UTI series features notable artists covering songs they find to be influential to them. Volume 3 finds Mustard Plug covering the Fugazi classic “Waiting Room,” and Bomb the Music Industry! taking on Pavement’s “Gold Soundz.”

Fugazi is a pretty beloved band. Even if you don’t know their catalog, you have probably had a friend press “Waiting Room” on you. The song is an absolute classic. Mustard Plug, as is their way, throw a bit of ska on it. It doesn’t necessarily improve the song, but it doesn’t hurt it. The vocals hit it pretty spot-on, and the addition of the horns makes for a fun addition. Overall, the song doesn’t out-do the original (naturally), but it’s not a bad cover by any means.

I have to say, I was wary when I heard Bomb the Music Industry! was covering Pavement. Mostly because, despite my most valiant efforts, I cannot get into Pavement. Much like similarly-hyped band Neutral Milk Hotel, I think they are absurdly overhyped. But, as Jeff Rosenstock writes in the notes for their cover, he figured a straight-up ska version of a hipster classic would really drive the indie rockers up a wall. Odds are it will, but it makes the song a lot better than the original. In my own biased opinion, of course. At any rate, it’s a damn fine ska number.

Mike Park/O Pioneers!!! split 7"

Next up is a split 7″ from Mike Park (ex-Skankin’ Pickle, the B. Lee Band, the Chinkees; also founder of Asian Man Records) and O Pioneers!!!, also on Suburban Home. Mike contributes an acoustic number (most of his solo work is acoustic) entitled “Rise Up.” It’s a catchy song, with Mike’s distinctive vocals and guitar, along with a harmonica here and there. The gang vocals for the chorus fit the song’s try-to-be-optimistic vibe with voices imploring the listener to “Rise up/Tell me everything will be alright.” Fans of Mike Park’s solo releases will not be disappointed here.

O Pioneers!!! throw down on the other side with a rocking, poppy soung called “Stressing the Fuck Out.” The gruff vocals have smoothed out some since I first checked out the band, giving them a nice balance of harsh edge and actual listenable singing. The song itself is great, with its propulsive drumming and intermittent guitar under cries to “calm down!/Everything will be alright!” A response to Mike Park’s request on the other side, perhaps? At a rate, this song would be a great introduction to O Pioneers!!!. It definitely gets me excited for their Neon Creeps full-length.

This is definitely a record to pick up for fans of either artist. And it comes with a code for an MP3 download of the songs, which is a trend I love.