Arts & Culture
courtesy of myspace.com/boatmusic
“Setting the Paces” written and performed by BOAT
90FM Reviews:
BOAT “Setting the Paces”
CONTRIBUTOR
BOAT’s new album “Setting the Paces” is contagiously enthusiastic rock ‘n roll for all of us who think it is normal to smile in public. I can’t help but think that these guys like kittens too.
This is the band’s fourth album, and the third for Magic Marker Records. Pretentiousness told me to expect either genius or redundancy. It isn’t redundant. BOAT’s last two records, “Let’s Drag Our Feet” and “Songs That You May Not Like,” displayed a great deal of creativity tightly packed into a couple of quirky guitars. “Setting the Paces” exceeds their past works by displaying a subtle maturity glazed over their usual shtick of casual silliness. The band has developed a solid formula for turning simple pop hooks into surprisingly epic journeys. I’ve never listened to an album more than three times in a row on purpose, but I just listened to this 38-minute sing-a-long at least 10 times today.
Constantly catchy guitars drive almost every track on the album, but that is not to say the rhythm section is lacking in the least. This band is tasteful, all around. Similar to Forest Gump and banana milk but without the cocaine and death. The drums are inspired, to say the least. Utilizing the entirety of a drum set within a single song is something this guy must hold as a standard.
The opening track “We’ve Been Friends Since 1989” is practically a clinic on how to organize interesting pop music. The bass starts a simple three-chord melody while the friendliest vocalist informs you that “you can declaw all of your pets, but your new black sofa will still be a mess.” In that four-second period you may wonder if this just another twee album full of cutesy nonsense, but then BOAT makes twee their bitch.
Instead of simply riding the smirk that is a xylophone, they combine the hook with raw garage rock that could make even the frostiest frosty-faced hipster admit that sometimes they wear shorts when it gets really hot. The song bobs and weaves for an enjoyable two minutes of quick transitions and nostalgia, then breaks down into a vocal hook that builds into an anthem of comforting depression.
Perhaps the true hallmark of the band is the vocalist’s ability to sound just as quirky and refreshing as the music. His range goes from a spoken-word baritone to a passionate yell-sing reminiscent of groups like The Unicorns and Negativeland. Lyrically, the album is an honest portrayal of what life used to be like, and how everything was supposed to be grander by now.
It is not depressing music though, which makes for a warming juxtaposition of sarcasm and reality. This motif comes out most prominently on “God Save the Man Who Isn’t All That Super” where life’s shortcomings are celebrated with the passion of an over-caffeinated 10 year old.
BOAT is proving that new musical ideas still exist even in the world of pop oriented rock ‘n roll. “Setting the Paces” is full of attention- grabbers ranging from unexpected transitions to hooks galore, and I can’t get enough of it. Listen for it on 90FM.
