In late Spring, I first noticed the cheap publicity posters for Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet plastered against construction site barricades all over the streets of lower East Manhattan. The poster picture of four youthful faces boxed out Brady Bunch style made me wonder how this quartet would be less square than any of the other vanilla sitcoms out there.
My first listen to the band’s EP “Summer Sensation” was disappointing, like when the Brady’s mysterious cousin Oliver appeared in the final season. I just didn’t quite understand the need, the point of things. So much so, that another listen seems unlikely.
There is a redundancy in “Summer Sensation”; I’ve heard this sound way too many times before: the thrashing, lead lady singer squealing angrily with her rebel rock band behind her. If it’s not done well, this combination can come across as ingratiating. I wouldn’t say that’s the case here, but I wasn’t exactly eager to play the CD again.
But because there must be a silver lining for a group that has gotten considerable press and a deal with a discerning label, sure enough there is a redeeming quality of the EP: the group’s back story. The members, Jemima Pearl Abegg, Jamin Orral, Jonas Stein and Nathan Vasquez are extremely young, so tender in fact, that they likely weren’t around for “Small Wonder”. To their credit, when the swing set factor comes into play, their peppy neediness suddenly sounds more like wide-eyed exuberance. It doesn’t entirely negate their fairly standard garage band sound, but it does better explain it, and suggest that perhaps they will ultimately mature.
While there are no songs I particularly loved, there was one that I could potentially envision listening to on a decent mix. “Bicyle, Bicyle,” is kind of fun, and I’m drawn to the mysterious lyric, “we’re on two wheels, baby,” though I doubt there is any intended hidden meaning. And “Take That Walk,” is thankfully a little softer, and thusly more agreeable than the rest of the EP. Contrastingly, Abegg’s squeaky yelps on “Fire Department” made me wish for a siren to drown her out.
Supposedly, the group’s got dynamic stage presence, comparable to the “Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.” While I find that slightly hard to believe, I can understand the musical comparisons: a wily female accompanied by strong, pulsating guitar. Perhaps they’ll take some cues from the “Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs” and diversify their sound, strengthen their lyrics. Then maybe the idea of checking out their live act would sound more appealing. Until then however, I remain unenthused about these too enthusiastic youngsters. |