I don't know quite what to make of the new album from Get A Life, Our Band Could Be Your Life Or Debt, out on Friday from Very Jazzed. On the one hand, the new one from Chase De Master is a Beck-like lo-fi affair, and on the other hand, it's a meticulously-crafted pop record.
Stuff like "What You Deserve" is abrasive bedsit indie, while the more interesting "Slow Me Down" recalls offerings from Jason Falkner and Fountains of Wayne, just more low rent. De Master is something of a genius on some of these compositions, offering up chord changes and hooks that are as good as anything on that Young Guv record from a few years ago, for example. I mean, "Here Comes The Fun" takes the whole home studio conceit one step further, layering a Brian Wilson-like vocal-line over a bright guitar-riff. The effect is, like on "2050", something like a mix of Guided By Voices and The Apples in Stereo. Similarly, "Spotless" sees power-pop juxtaposed with crunchy noise, the result something unique that provides just enough nods to past artists that a new listener to Get A Life should feel plenty comfortable.
Odd, ramshackle, and sporadically brilliant, Our Band Could Be Your Life Or Debt by Get A Life is a highlight of this week's release schedule. Fans of those bands I've mentioned above should seek this out, as well as anyone who just likes great DIY indie-pop.
The new album from Get A Life, Our Band Could Be Your Life Or Debt, is out on Friday from Very Jazzed.
[Photo: Anthony Flores]