2005-03-07 - 4:00 p.m. Blink! Earlimart...They are a decent enough band, in that Portland-y way, where the drumming's not very good but they've got "heart" and a bashful sense of melody. But they sound so much like Elliot Smith--vocals, song structure, production--that I had to stop listening. On the other hand, the Kaiser Chiefs album is the greatest album of all time. OK, maybe not, but I am really excited about this band of lads from Leeds. One could easily tag 'em as a sort of 80s new wave revival band, but that is not the half of it. Interesting songwriting, vibrant production, good lyrics, an overall aura of confidence and intelligence and unmistakable British wit, like hearing Squeeze, mid-period Jam, early XTC, or the Wedding Present for the first time. Other endearing qualities: their lyric booklet (five points right there for even having one--lyrics booklets seem to have gone the way of the Galapagos Flightless Cormorant) is funny, they're apparently named after an antique motorbike, and they feature piano on several tracks in a way that doesn't make my flesh crawl (one must be very, very careful with piano in rock music). (And hey, they're playing in Hoboken on my birthday!) thoughts? (0 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact