The Goodbye Party — Beautiful Motors (Double Double Whammy)
Beautiful Motors by The Goodbye Party
Michael Cantor, who records as The Goodbye Party, wears his love for Big Star on his sleeve, especially in “December Boys,” whose name twists a Chilton classic and whose tuneful, jangling, elaborately harmonized chorus scratches a power pop itch. Cantor, from Philadelphia, has been making scratchy, reedy confessionals erupt into guitar mayhem for a while. He started in the punk-pop Ambulars, and later hooked up with Radiator Hospital’s Sam Cook-Parrott in the Afterglows. He’s now on his second solo album, a rough gem of a record, earnest and heartbroken but splintering into radiant rock ‘n roll euphoria.
Beautiful Motors’ quieter moments evoke a certain kind of sweet, wistful indie pop that used to be common but has lately fallen through the cracks. You’ll hear shades of Carissa’s Weird’s lovely vocal interplay, a bit of the Boston band Dimes’ unassuming acoustic tunefulness, a touch of the great, underrated Wiretree’s stinging, sugar-high hooks. That you don’t use these bands as comparisons, ever, is a sign of how obscure this type of music has become and how far the music industry has drifted away from indie pop.
The best moments come, though, when Cantor cuts loose, finding strength and swagger and distortion in the chorus. Like the songs, the album gains confidence as it goes. There’s a country rock uproar in later cuts like “Rust” and “Lost” that might remind you of the Moondoggies or even that first electrified Big Thief album, the one they slyly titled Masterpiece before anyone else started using the term. A bit of pedal steel twangs away in “No Reason,” pulling the music towards Americana, though never all the way.
The songs, like nearly all pop songs, are about love gone awry, love past, love remembered from a distance. In the single “Unlucky Stars,” a boinging, rubber band guitar riff, a hard racket of drums shore up a sensitive boy meditation on the wreck of attachment. “Tell me what I’ve been given/not the same as what I’ll keep,” sings Cantor, in his whistly high upper register, wringing every possible bit of power pop sweetness out of heartbreak one more time. It’s definitely not in fashion, this stuff, but also never entirely out of it.
Here are my ten favorite records of the year... obvs not including ones Youth Camp have been a part of.
1. Everyone Everywhere - Everyone Everywhere
their first self titled album is strangely probably my favorite emo record of all time. Then this album came, and its possibly even better. Fans of Piebald and Promise Ring. Authentic emo, hella indie and silly but great lyrics. GUSH.
2. Lich / Man Hands - Split 12"
My two favourite UK hardcore bands released a split.. and its incredible. Man Hands is a fastcore band, sounding just as punk as they do HC, but not in an OTT way which bands seem to do all to much, or just forget the punk side altogether. Lich on the other hand/side are a sludgey, doomy riff band. Some of the heaviest breakdowns you could have heard last year, and now they have dropped down another tuning, im sure its only going to get more so in '13!
3. The Ambulars - Dreamers Asleep At The Wheel
Perfect college indie. Loved this band since first hearing their demo almost three years ago, but this LP came out of nowhere (for me anyway) and i think it caught a lot of peoples attention!
4. Title Fight - Floral Green
This is the internet and plus this is in everyone's top 10s, right? You have probably heard this record by now. If you haven't heard it then listen to it.
5. Holy - Holy
Italian hardcore. I think it sounds like a dirtier, punker and sometimes faster Lights Out.
The Ambulars - Dreamers Asleep At The Wheel
http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/album/the-ambulars/dreamers-asleep-at-the-wheel/
I've only had this record for about a week and I've already listened to it about 20 times through. Make it a priority to download this record and if you love it, donate back to the band so they can keep making awesome records like this. For fans of Superchunk and the best parts of The Ataris.
This would make a good companion piece to the new Swearin' record.
