The Pick Brothers Band - Pink Lemonade
Do you remember the first time you saw an iPod commercial? I remember my first. You know the one – silhouetted figures atop backgrounds of simple colours, dancing wildly to the chorus of Steriogram’s “Walkie Talkie Man”? The bright visual design, the way the people moved their bodies so freely, the quirk of the song – I never lost sight of the fact that it was intended to sell me a product, but that commercial was so fun and infectious that it seemed to sum up everything that I loved about music at the time. And then they followed that one up with commercials featuring all kinds of other bands that were as concerned with making you dance really hard through good ol’ catchy rock n’ roll: The Fratellis. Caesars. Jet. Even Feist, that one time. I certainly can’t remember all of them – there were a lot of iPod commercials at the turn of the century, and there were a lot of bands trying to recapture the “fun” aspect of rock music at the time too. Indeed, that first wave of (yes, heavily commercialized) indie rock was perhaps the most concentrated moment of bands being self-consciously “fun” since the mid-60s. And as someone who grew up around that time, I must say, I sort of miss it.
The Pick Brothers Band is the sort of group that would probably have had a song in an iPod commercial, in that bygone era. It is perhaps unsurprising, considering the title of their debut record Pink Lemonade, that this trio of bros deals in sunny, breezy music that is simultaneously energetic and soothing. There’s a sense of nostalgia here, both in the lyrics – which mostly deal with pining after women and the romanticism of youth – and the way that the songs bounce around with classic rock enthusiasm.
Which isn’t to say that this album is single-minded; underneath the pleasant melodies and generally light aesthetic lies a very high level of musicianship. Countermelody-heavy bass lines, sweet vocal harmonies, intricate drum parts, and wonderfully sloppy guitar solos abound, and the brothers show a fondness for both genre and instrument swapping. Here you’ll find dirty blues numbers, mandolin-and-banjo-intensive folk ballads, a ska verse or two, and even, on one occasion, a saxophone solo.
In short, Pink Lemonade is a lovely record that perfectly caps off the summertime. It definitely deserves a few listens and a place in your music collection - preferably somewhere between Dr. Dog and The Elwins.
<a href="http://thepickbrothersband.bandcamp.com/album/pink-lemonade" data-mce-href="http://thepickbrothersband.bandcamp.com/album/pink-lemonade">Pink Lemonade by The Pick Brothers Band</a>
Listen to the whole album HERE!