Several
months back I got word a friend's band was releasing a new record. I went to
their web page to check out a demo track and was greeted with the high
definition image of a middle aged, hairy chest and beer belly. Two delicate
feminine hands were cupping lactating man boobs. I sat dumbfounded for a
moment, grooooosssssss! After the initial shock wore off I nearly fell
out of my chair laughing. This is, after all, a product of the demented
imagination of J.D. Korpitz.
Redbush is
a power pop trio from Laramie Wyoming. When I say power pop, I mean driving
rock music with accessible vocal melodies and tightly written standard song
structures. Redbush has the song writing sensibilites of bands like Queens of
the Stone Age, Clutch, the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr. and Mudhoney. It's
refreshing to hear something catchy with some guts. We need more bands like
this to cut through the wimpy crud the indie kids have flooded the mainstream
with in the last five to ten years.
Milkmaid
reminds me that straightforward rock music can be really fun and invigorating.
In my previous review of Redbush's EP Wonder Nugget I noted the tastefulness of
that record. Everything was very polished and radio ready. What I like about
Milkmaid is that it has more of a raw, vibrant sound. The vocal harmonies are
just a hair off. The vocal delivery often times veers from the melody into
screams and enthusiastic shouts. The bass tone is slightly distorted. This adds
slight dissonance to the lower register riffs, adding an extra kick of
intensity to the songs. It's rock, it's supposed to make you want to drink and
dance till four in the morning! It sounds like the goofballs down the street
are having a rowdy house party and everyone is invited. If you have the
opportunity to go to a house show in
your hometown- even if the bands aren't that
great- you should. The camaraderie has always been so much more fun than
the biggest corporate rock stadium spectacle in my humble opinion.
If you don't
catch yourself humming one of these songs you either have tin ear or no heart.
There isn't anything innovative happening with Milkmaid. There are no epic
statements made or moments of emotional climax. Redbush is flat out good time,
big riff, rock and roll. Stand out tracks are Polar Creep, All My Pretty
Ones and the one instrumental track on the record Spinal Necklace. What
makes Milkmaid really cool to me are the rough edges. In the modern era of
pitch corrected digitally enhanced high power production values Milkmaid is a
breath of fresh air. I think this record is one of those rare moments where a
recording really captures the feel and personality of a band. This is something
we've forgotten in the modern era of youtube, mp3s and pandora or last.fm. A
record should showcase the power of a bands musical performance. It seems like
every year things get turned further backwards. The role of a band is to create
the most epic record at any means necessary and then try to find a way to
reproduce that somehow in a live scenario. To me that is total fucking
bullshit, anyone who thinks otherwise can eat my shit. The only complaint I
have about Milkmaid is that the chorus of the last song sounds like a Reel Big
Fish song, otherwise I really dig this record.
