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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
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Water School:
Break up with Water School
A four-piece of talented performers, Water School hail from Baltimore; their press, website, and artwork seem to portray a band intent on having a good, old fashioned rockin time. They are rightfully proud of their escalating success, opening for bands like Sebadoh, Blonde Redhead, and the Fiery Furnaces, all the while keeping a sense of humor. But in the end, their first full-length release, picked up by Morphius Records for national distribution, could be the well-wishing breakup one would have with the nice boy down the street. He may be great but hes not right for you. Ive never heard honky-tonk pop before. This may seem like yet another sub-genre classification, but the basically light sound, twang vocals, and Tennessee Walker beats brought nothing to mind so clearly as a dim bar with a cheery local crowd, entertained by the cheery local band. Real honky-tonk. This is true on Firefly and especially on No Cause For Celebration. But theyre not country just honky-tonk. The faster time settings of Forgive Me Robert and Rosita owe more to straight-up indie rock; Southern Belle is markedly cousin to the Weakerthans. Both lead singers Chris Myers and Mike Gittings have decent voices, though occasionally weak, that range between the aforementioned styles. There are also overtures of shoo-wop backing vocals, which are a nice touch on several tracks and part of the reason why the album is light. Tracks that diverge from the basic honky-tonk feel include Blooms In Disguise, with a strong guitar line Aimee Mann would be proud of, and Rosita, which could be early Hollywood punk. The influences on the band tend toward Gram Parsons and Steve Earle but are offset by modern indie fare. The four members of Water School play their instruments well, and their time in the studio and on the road shows in their mature arrangements, layered song construction, and balanced harmonies. Unfortunately, most of the tracks suffer from lyrics of no particular depth, and awkward phrases (Hold on to your heart attacks/ We gotta keep all Gods children intact). Break up with Water School is nothing to hype, but Water School seem to have found a clever niche, and will probably continue to succeed if their genial approach in music extends to their interaction as a band. Like the short-term boyfriend of your youth, youll undoubtedly see them around and stay friends. Next time they play the local dive, catch their show; but dont feel bad for skipping a future with them.
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