Album Review

In 2008 I interviewed a band called The Muslims at a cool little piano bar in San Diego. The group was very young at this point, but they still had managed to swing some pretty high profile gigs. The buzz factory had already begun to kick in, but for once it appeared as if the media machine was functioning properly by backing a band that deserved to be heard.

It was a blast talking to The Muslims that afternoon. I came away impressed that the group held humorous influences in as high a regard as they did real musical inspirations. They were already adept at telling their premier tales of partying on the road, and the band’s drummer, Brian Hill, enlightened me on the numerous hybrids of hairy human “bears” made popular by gay Americans nationwide.

So now, two years later, I am writing this review a couple nights after catching the band on Letterman. Much has changed for the group in the interim. The biggest switch was the band name. I think anyone could have guessed that The Muslims moniker wouldn’t have lasted too long in this day and age, so The Muslims are now The Soft Pack, and The Soft Pack are a certified professional rock and roll band.

And this new album comes blasting out of the gates like a confident rock album should with the stampeding “C’mon.” This song presents the formula that The Soft Pack utilizes for sonic success throughout the entire record. It’s no revelation and it certainly ain’t no ancient Chinese secret. It is raw rock and roll with a modern twist. It’s smart garage rock that’s an angrier take on the classic Modern Lovers sound. It’s arty enough to appeal to the Velvet Underground fans and raw enough to reel in the punks.

Whenever I hear bands that capture this sound I always wonder why more groups don’t make simple, fun rock albums like this. One of the most refreshing things about it is that it feels devoid of trying to impress anyone with their musical chops. Take “More Or Less” for example, one of the album’s strongest tracks utilizes a simple surf guitar line as it’s key hook. Instead of overloading it with similar guitar solos, the band instead re-introduces the main hook sparingly throughout the song. It is the perfect icing on the cake and displays some well thought restraint.

These little surf guitar bits have been the band’s secret weapon for a while now. I remember a similar hook caught my ear when I first heard “Extinction” a few years back. “Tides of Time” rides on a killer lick, and, even more ironic, the song is actually about two kids getting lost after being sucked out to sea during a storm. It’s a dark story song, which lead singer Matt Lamkin pulls off quite earnestly. The group’s simple song structures seem to serve the format well, so hopefully there will be more tales to be told down the road.

My personal faves from the disc are actually quite different beasts. “Answer to Yourself” is an anthem in the making that rides on the loud/louder/loud template of song construction. The verses are already driving, but the choruses, with the great “But I think I’m gonna die/Before I see my time” lines, are downright explosive. On the other side of the spectrum, “Mexico” is a charming little number that sounds as if it was the result of smoking too much ganja one night on the beach. It is easily the most down-tempo number on the disc, but it still sounds true to form. Once I heard the guitar solos I actually thought it akin to some sort of lost Pavement song, and that’s certainly not a bad thing.

So, yeah, it’s only February and this is easily one of the best albums of 2010. What The Soft Pack do ain’t rocket science, but these simple songs are catchy!

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