More Music From The Flowerpot

A few months ago I was contacted by the folks at Flowerpot Records to listen and review some of the albums under their label. Back in September I reviewed an album by The Suburbanites.  Today I'll tell you my impressions of Leaving Today by All Over The Place. I downloaded this album and gave it a good long listen. Unfortunately this is not the type of music I normally enjoy, not that its bad by any means, its just not my thing.

That being said, I continued to listen to the album objectively, and repeatedly, and though I still didn't like it much, after a few times through the album I could see that a lot of effort went into the arrangement and the production. The musical arrangement has a big band feel; lots of horns and percussion, a fast tempo, is present in most songs; though a few songs did slow down considerably, I preferred the faster ones.  While I'm not sure you could dance to any of these songs, there are quite a few you could definitely jump around to.

The lyrics are interesting, both poignant and funny; there is a sense of ironic dissatisfaction throughout the album. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it more than to say that a sense of apathetic longing for some something seems to run throughout each song.

I liked the fact that both the album art and the lyric sheet is included in the digital download and that you can name your own price at Flowerpot.

Though I didn't care particularly for the album there were a few songs that I enjoyed. This one particularly gives a good sense and feel of the band. Though I didn't care for this album, I would like to check out more of All Over The Place's music just to make sure they aren't really my flavor. If you'd like to check them or other bands on the label, head on over to Flowerpot Records and see if anything catches your ear.

(I was given the opportunity to download and give my honest review of this album but in no way was I compensated. The preceding was my own opinion.)

Lend me your ear, you'll be glad you did.

My oh my, over a month has gone by since my last review, I've been very busy though the last month so we'll have to let that be my excuse.

But enough with excuses let's get back to what we're here for: Reviews!

I was contacted last week by Wes Meadows of Flowerpot Records, asking if I would be interested in listening to and reviewing an album by one of their bands. Flowerpot Records is record label based out of Berea, Ohio, they produce CDs and tapes from indie artists throughout the state of Ohio.  I was a bit surprised at first since I'm about as far away from Ohio as you can get and still be in the Continental US, but if you know me at all you know that my first love is music (followed closely by books of course), so of course I agreed, not only was it an opportunity for a little something to put in my blog, but it was also an opportunity to find new music and I never pass that up.

I was given a list of the albums that Wes preferred I review, and I chose the one I liked the best based on band name, album name and cover art.  Which is pretty much how I used to shop for new bands back before Internet radio and such.

This is the album I decided on, The cover caught my eye before I even noticed the name of the album or the band, Lady Liberty on the phone, I don't know why it struck me the way that it did but I downloaded "I Liked Them Before They Went Political" by The Suburbanites, and listened to it repeatedly over the next few days.

From the very first track I was impressed, their vocal range is fantastic, and reminiscent of Brian Molko in some songs, in still others I was reminded of Cherry Poppin' Daddies, or Cake.

The instrumental arrangements are fresh and clever, yet still remaining true to the ska/rock genre; wicked guitar riffs and awesome percussion blend with the vocals to give the listener the impression that not only have the Suburbanites have been playing together for a long time but they know what they are doing.  The lyrics are funny and poignant by turns, some of the songs tell a story, some of them convey a feeling, but all of them are good. That said, its seldom that I find an album that has only good songs, no matter how much I like a band or an artist I can generally find a song that isn't that great, or that I just dislike, but that is not the case with "I Liked Them Before They Went Political", each song has its own flavor, and its own story to tell, and I found myself very interested in what that story had to say.

This is a fairly new album less than a month old, and sadly it seems that the Surbanites have taken an extended hiatus, I do hope they record another album at some point because I would love to hear more from them, but until that happens, do your ears a treat and check out the first track on the album

Now you're ready to head over to Flowerpot Records where you can check out and get the rest of the tracks.  While you're there, check out some of the other bands they have to offer, I don't think you'll be disappointed.