In 1995, the year The Presidents of the United States of America released their self-titled debut album, I was a student at Bob Jones University, a conservative Christian college that does not allow students to listen to rock music. That did not stop “Peaches” and “Lump” from being ubiquitous on campus, though. Smirking, we would quietly hum the tunes or quote the lyrics as if they were a secret code to the cool kid’s table. And, why not? What better band to amuse ourselves with as we thumbed our noses at our authority than a band who doesn’t take themselves too seriously while thumbing their noses at the musical establishment?
It has been several years since I have engaged PUSA’s weird and wonderful mix of Seattle influenced alternative and punk power pop woven together with punk sensibilities, but without falling into the trap of trying too hard. After my Bob Jones University days, I was too busy being a serious adult and being a serious theatre artist and listening to serious music like Radiohead and The Verve to be into a band that sang about “peaches.” Of course, like most people who went to college in the mid-90’s, I would happily sing along whenever “Lump” would play at the club or parties – which was often. PUSA became one of those bands relegated to the dollar bin of my musical memory; after spending the last few days reacquainting myself with the band, I now realize that it was my loss.
The Presidents of the United States of America’s new album, Kudos To You!, was funded through the crowd-sourcing website Pledge Music. Actually, according to the press release, the album was recorded before Pledge Music was utilized. PUSA had scheduled studio time for two days of no-expectation non-hammock time. The band entered the recording session with “no material other than Singer Chris Ballew’s notebook.” A month later, Kudos To You! was born. Since then, PUSA has reached out to their fans, bypassing the music industry, and placing the album directly in the hands of those who make their music possible.
After finding out that I was reviewing Kudos To You!, friends would ask me about the new songs –not the album, but the songs. I quickly realized that much of their gleeful interest was grounded in lyrical expectations and much less about the actual music. After some trolling on the interwebs, it was confirmed in my mind that much of the interest in PUSA is based on their whimsical and fun, yet deeply (often surprisingly) engaging lyrics. I get that. “Mud flowed up into Lump’s pajamas/she totally confused all the passing piranhas,” will forever be stuck in the part of my brains that developed in the 90’s; I’m thankful for that, even if I don’t fully understand why. That’s not to say that PUSA’s hooks aren’t frequently hummed while weighing peaches in the grocery store; that is to say, however, that the interest in the music isn’t proportionate to the interest in the lyrics and that’s probably an oversight.
Reviews or descriptions of PUSA are often accompanied with a long list of genres that the band falls into, and at times the varying lists are just that – varying. I prefer to describe the band as, and somewhat repeating myself from above, “power-pop with grunge, post-grunge and punk influences.” While listening to Kudos To You! I began to wonder how the power-pop of PUSA stacked up against one of my favorite power-pop bands Big Star. After alternately listening to tracks from Big Star’s #1 Record and PUSA’s Kudos To You!, I can confidently state that the PUSA tracks compare favorably to the power-pop of Big Star. The first track “Slow Slow Fly” is my favorite on the album, both lyrically and musically. It has a catchy, uncomplicated melody with a hook that has its roots in power-pop, but allows the band’s grunge influence to peek through enough to provide an interesting layer to the song. “Crappy Ghost” and “Crown Victoria” are clear evidence that the band’s roots are sunk deep into the soil of early-mid 90’s Seattle sound. On “Stay With Me” PUSA leaves no doubt about their punk sensibilities, while still remaining firmly within power-pop joyfulness. “Rooftops in Spain,” my second favorite track on Kudos To You!, integrates all of the band’s influences seamlessly.
The previous paragraph aside, there is no way to deny that much of PUSA’s appeal is the whimsical and catchy lyrics. I think that, compared to earlier albums, the band does a better job of not allowing the lyrics to run rough-shod over the music. Whimsical and quirky lyrics ride a thin rail of interesting and reflective with the danger of falling into silly and distracting with the potential to be eventually annoying. I am happy to write that most of the album is comprised of songs with lyrics that are fun, but that encourage reflection, too. The highlight is the aforementioned “Slow Slow Fly” with lyrics that are not only quirky but that contain a richness and depth that encourage exploration.
Kudos To You! is an album that confronts pop culture’s penchant of taking itself way too seriously. PUSA reminds us that music can be thoughtful, artful, and fun without falling into either trap of being silly for the sake of silly or the constant ironic winking at the audience that epitomizes much of the “serious” music of today. It’s ok to have fun while listening to good music.
Rating: 3.5/5
http://www.presidentsrock.com/
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