For months on end I haven't bought any new CD's. I've been a musical funk, so to speak. My love for music is still there, going strong, but I just haven't been interested in finding new music like I used to—and new music has long been a sustaining force in my life. I got tired of bubble gum pop and nu-metal on the radio with nothing good in between. And if I even had cable TV, I wouldn't be watching MTV and its lack of music videos. I've still been going to shows and listening to music, but only things I am already familiar with. And I got to the point where I needed something new. Quickly. Before I went crazier.
So, one day not too long ago, Officer and I decide to exchange some music with each other and he tells me he's going to send me a mix. Since I'm not at all familiar with most of the music he listens to, I didn’t know what to expect and due to my funk I didn’t know if I’d like any of it. When the box arrived from Officer and I played his mix for the first time I was immediately attracted to a number of the songs, but the sixth track really caught my interest. It was “Buffalo & Deer” by the Fruit Bats. I purchased the CD as soon as possible and having been listening to it nearly non-stop ever since.
The Chicago based band describe themselves on their web site, www.fruitbatsmusic.com as folk. This works only in the broadest sense of the term because there are so many other obvious influences and styles in their music. Looking at the personnel list for Echolocation, you’d think the Fruit Bats are some sort of country band. Consider the credits from the liner notes of the album:
Eric Johnson-vocals, guitars, piano, percussion, organ, banjo, marimba, bass
Dan Strack-guitars, vocals, ukulele, clarinet, percussion, piano
Brian Deck-percussion, drum kit, vocals, casio, marimba, fuzzfactory guitar, crickets
Charles Kim-pedal steel, bass
Jim Becker-fiddle, mandolin, Cajun triangle
Also with:
Brian Belval--percussion
Gillian Lisee--keyboards, vocals
Ben Massarella--fantasy maneuvers
Tim Rutili--slide guitar, feedback, vocals
The group seems to be Eric Johnson’s baby, as he wrote all of the songs on Echolocation and the lineup appears to change regularly. Regardless, the Fruit Bats strike me as an extremely interesting group.
“Glass in your Feet” incorporates folky acoustic guitar with the marimba to create an airy, dreamy sound. Johnson’s vocals are often nearly expressionless and this track is no exception, but something eerie and macabre hides in his lyrics. Consider the lines, “There are rainbows as the light refracts through the glass in your feet. Blue and green as the wind attacks and the glaciers retreat. Death's head moth and a honeybee and the flightless birds on the ground so cold.” Almost every song on this album moves seamlessly from upbeat to chilling without a hitch. There is no change in the music or vocals to accompany this juxtaposition, so you have to pay attention to the lyrics to find it.
The same can be said about the lyrics in “Buffalo & Deer” such as “Oh what a day for sunshine, oh what a day for blue sky!! Oh what a day for sunshine, oh what a lazy day!!
Fireworks are going off, you could blow your finger off. Buffalo and deer have trampled trails into the ground.” The song has a grand quality to it while managing not to sound overblown and pretentious. The multiple people providing background vocals is sweetly done and makes me picture the group singing together around a campfire.
“Echolocation Stomp” is merely an instrumental interlude but it’s full of all the energetic twangy goodness you would expect from a band that includes slide guitar, pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin. This leads nicely into “Coal Age,” another instrumental that is reminiscent of a summer evening spent on one’s front porch, complete with the lovely sound of crickets in the distance.
“Dragon Ships” is my current favorite track on the album. Johnson’s vocals move from normal to falsetto with the verses. The music is upbeat, but hard to describe in terms of genre. I hear country, folk, pop, and rock all rolled into one hybrid. Johnson’s personal lyrics make my smile with understanding: ” I'm gonna go, this time I know, city's got me feeling like a motherfuckah! This one is it, after I quit, I can't write a love song worth shit!” I’m always tickled when a new song reflects my feelings so accurately.
I’m in awe of everything about this album. The music is simple and full at the same time, and the abundance of instruments does not overdo anything. They sound to me like Pink Floyd would have if Syd Barrett had remained in the group—minus a lot of psychedelic drugs and plus American bluegrass/country sensibility. In fact, I think the opening riff of “A Dodo Egg” was ripped directly from Pink Floyd and covered over with the fiddle.
So, thanks Officer. Though I’m sure he doesn’t realize it (how could he? I don’t think I told anyone until now what a funk I’ve been in), he has helped me to renew my faith in new music and revitalized my taste for seeking it out.
Track List
1.The Old Black Hole
2. Glass in Your Feet
3. Buffalo & Deer
4. Need it just a Little
5. Black Bells (Make me OK)
6. Strange Little Neck of the Woods
7. Echolocation Stomp
8. Coal Age
9. Filthy Water
10. A Dodo Egg
11. Dragon Ships
12. Blue Parachutes
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