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Lorenzo Goetz:
Jesus Elephant
Jesus Elephant; I love this album title. If I could, Id take the whole review and just analyze that little piece of the collective package I received from the Midwestern band Lorenzo Goetz. I dont know; maybe its the fact that Jesus and Elephants conjure up thoughts of religion and Republicans (two very scary things), or maybe it just makes me giggle. This album is self-produced, recorded and engineered by Larry Gates (lead vocals/lyricist/multi-instrumentalist) and Josh Miethe (backing vocals/multi-instrumentalist). The two of them worked the board to create an awesome-sounding album. Its not super snazzy or over polished, rather it is clear and sounds almost like its a very natural, live performance. That alone gives the band additional props. And then there are the tunes, which for the most part, are solid. The first five tracks are well-crafted pop songs, and the second batch is a little more experimental. You can tell that the boys from Lorenzo Goetz are heavily influenced by late-sixties British pop, Beck, and dare I say, Cake. When I listen to album, it instantly takes me back to my college days, sitting on the porch on a lazy Sunday afternoon under the influence of some chemical, letting the stereo crawl out the front screen door. Thats a good feeling for my now working for the man life. A personal favorite on the album is the instrumental Hymnal. This track immediately brought to mind Camper Van Beethovens earlier ska-heavy albums. Theres nothing too special about the track, though it made me appreciate what these guys were doing even more; theyve studied their roots. I also have to say that I love the song Jesus Elephant. There is a nice dreamlike quality to the tune, emphasized by the choruss lyrics, Androids and elephants, Jesus and elephants, they come to my room, they crawl through my window (at night). It may not be the most radio-friendly song on the album, but thats not what wins over my heart. I like music that takes me to a brave new world. The last two tracks come out of the blue. Theyre not entirely different from what was on the rest of the album, but they definitely showing some risk-taking, and ultimately its taking risk that makes a band grow. The guest vocals on Buddah, particularly during the chorus, are outstanding. And in the end, Im going to bring it back to my first point: how can you not like an album called Jesus Elephant?
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