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The
Distortions: Exploding Teenage Body Part
Usually in this glamorous line of work, you can pin a label on a band simply by looking at the cover or even just glancing at the bands name. Record picking and critiquing rely mostly on assumptions and first impressions on the record at a quick look. I know it might be kind of overly presumptuous and silly, but hey, thats just what happens, and Im not one to change the laws of record-buying nature. Before throwing this album on, I was preparing myself to start looking for adjectives and metaphors to describe another glammed-up LA garage punk hit and miss. However, what I found in place of my snooty assumption surprised me; sometimes you can be surprised on a semi-regular basis. What I got out of this album, Exploding Teenage Body Part, is not the over-pretension and self-obsession that has become the sad stigmata of LA (which I do sometimes fall for, being critical and crotchety); instead, I got a blend of lush shoegaze and punk-pop with a disillusioned, though talented singer. Its a fresh take on a beautiful, but gloomy and perhaps dying genre. Dark and haunting, the heavy drive at the beginning of the album retreats into more drawn out, slower spun and dreary reflections on society. Judging by main songwriter Fs tone, you can assume this is caused by his increasing discontent throughout the album and his boredom of everyday routine-oriented life. As much as his mood drags throughout a song, so does the album itself, spiraling into a growing mood of restlessness. His lyrics contain a lost generation quality to them a submission to time and space. As an outsider, he describes the feeling of looking in and not quite getting it or finding his place. The backdrop of music fades from power chords to minimal picked spaciness, adding a dream like presence to the album. As Ive mentioned, the lyrics are very dark, but are delivered in a manner that makes you want to sing along, hence the punk-pop comparison. As the listener, you want to feel with him and commiserate by singing along. Its not overdone and cheesy though; its masterfully done. This is music for the dreamy and glassy-eyed. Good.
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