Uncle/Father Oscar - You’re Saying It Like It’s Gonna Happen
"Wait until the kids get a hold of this new--" Uncle/Father Oscar album!!! With the release of Season 4 of Arrested Development just a few years over our shoulders, and Season 5 prospected to arrive in 2016, it's the moment we've all been waiting for... we can finally get our fully functional, intact, and non-seal-attack-removed hands on (and all over) a brand-new full length album from the Philly and West Chester area's emo/pop-punk A-team, Uncle/Father Oscar. The album is entitled "You're Saying It Like It's Gonna Happen", and while Season 4 of Arrested Development may have received some mixed reviews, Uncle/Father Oscar's new LP will certainly not share the same fate. Every listener is sure to agree that "You're Saying It Like It's Gonna Happen" is top-quality from beginning to end. This being the band's first ever full-length, they (and their worker bees) aim to please, blow alternatingly hot and cool in your ears, and put out an A+ tonal product... all of which they have done to the utmost degree.
The unique sound produced by Uncle/Father Oscar's party favor bag of emo, pop-punk, and other alternative genres is just that: music that is completely unique and set apart from the many other bands with which they might share a stage. Since the beginning, they have always released song after song of wonderfully written pop melodies through the lens of emo/punk. Each song is complete with its moments of somber softness as well as roaring, feel-good group dynamics (which quite often comes with a healthy side of group vocals). Each song sways from twinkle emo lead riffs to slamming, driven punk chords. Each song is fueled by the complex melodies of the bass and the deep chords that ring out from it in accompaniment. And each song is enSNAREd and guided by the syncopated punk beats put in motion by the drum set and other various percussion involved. The vocals are incredible as well, with seriously some of the best harmonies in the entire genre as well as, in my opinion, the best vocal rhythms you can find just about anywhere. But, really, as hard and paragraph-long as I might try, there's no description that can fully do Uncle/Father Oscar's music justice. Words will always fall short. So check out their music on Bandcamp, almost all of it is available for pay-what-you-want and this new album is out now and available for 7 buckerinos (U.S. dollars).
And if you like what you hear, head to one of their live shows, because not only is their recorded music great, but they put on some of the most fun shows you will ever go to in Philly, West Chester, Doylestown, or any other surrounding area. Their sets are lively, welcoming, and communal... every. single. time. Additionally, if you look around during any of the other bands' sets at a local show, you'll easily find members of Uncle/Father Oscar present for all of it, talking and laughing with people in the crowd, making friends with the other bands and members of the audience, and just being all-around great people to be around in general.
All of these things that you hear me say about Uncle/Father Oscar and all of the things that all other fans of their music love about them is 100% present in their new album, "You're Saying It Like It's Gonna Happen", but this time around, all of these positive traits are epitomized as the album displays the band's immense growth together as a group of musicians. The album communicates a variety of themes, a few connected to prior releases, but namely, "You're Saying It Like It's Gonna Happen" takes a philosophical delve into the realm of relationships (along with their past, present, and future intricacies) and all of the give-and-take that should be present in healthy companionship, rather than using one another for personal benefit. Overall, Uncle/Father Oscar leaves us with a couple of very important lessons:
Number one... "We use each other as fuel, and fuel never sticks around."
And number two... the most important lesson of all... one handed down from Uncle/Father Oscar's twin brother, George Sr...
There is always money in the banana stand.
-Evan Cowgill
