Blake Solomon
11/05/08, 10:01 PM
Eskobar – Death in Athens
Record Label: Gibulchi Records
Release Date: March 12, 2008
Bias is a funny thing. I wonder how I would feel about the smooth, boy-band-with-instruments pop of Eskobar if they were from Saginaw, MI instead of Stockholm, Sweden. Do I allow this simplistic and uplifting style to invade my brain because of some skewed form of primitivism? America invented rock music so the rest of the world is allowed to lag behind? This begs the question: why do I actually like Band A more than Band B? How often do these random outside factors outshine the musical merits of an album? Did you eat lunch today? That was a test! But seriously, I think the echoic melodies of “Flat Earth” or the radio rock balladry of “Unique” stand on their own two legs regardless of my idiotic thought processes. Spending too much time pondering the reasons we do things is for nerds in white coats, not a totally hip dude in dunks.
Pretty much every type of feel-good pop makes an appearance on Death in Athens. The band goes from ABBA dance grooves (“As The World Turns”) to soft rock (“Hallelujah New World”) to electronica-for-parents (“Thinkin’ About You”). It’s like when guys say a wall is pink and girls say it’s salmon. The differences are slim, but to the right snobs they are important. This jumpy strategy is usually a risk for bands. If one style is done well and then neglected for a different, less rewarding style, it’s much easier to tell. Clearly, retro works for these dudes. Daniel Bellqvist’s velvety pipes are produced with a ridiculous amount of sheen, which thankfully fit perfectly over the 80’s synth pop of “One Life” or the kidz bop-via-U2 of “You Can’t Hear Me.” These wonderfully cheesy numbers are fist pumpers for the sweater vest set.
But when you’ve just finished jazzercising, you’re not looking to mingle with creepy lyrics and synthesized woodwind instruments (“Ready Or Not”). If that wasn’t enough, right after the creepster concerto ends, you’re hit with an abomination by the name of “Poisonous Kiss.” I’ve seen talk about The Higher being a glorified boy band; this is what The Higher would sound like if they started dressing in matching track suits and ditched their instruments once and for all. It’s so slick you’ll fall right onto the skip button. You see, those are the only bad songs on Death in Athens, but they stick out so much it’s hard to simply shrug them off. Eskobar clearly spent lots of time picking genres and influences. It's not a stretch to say that two terrible songs could easily become ten.
Or I could stop being pessimistic and point you towards “Obvious,” which most closely resembles their fascinating self-titled release from 2006. The mixture of rock riffs and Bellqvist’s airy voice is what Athlete wish they had. The chorus will no doubt lodge itself in the exact brain space you were saving for the day you finally got the number of the hot disaffected girl from British Lit. Trust me, “Obvious” is a better usage of this space (“It’s obvious / The easy things / They never happen to me”). She's not as smart as you think. (Her favourite British author is Douglas Adams!) Lend her your copy of Canterbury Tales, turn up Death in Athens and moonwalk out of the room. Forget how good she looks in leggings. You've got Eskobar.
Recommended If You Like: The Essex Green, funny, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, RIYL's, Guillemots, are hard
www.myspace.com/officialeskobar
Record Label: Gibulchi Records
Release Date: March 12, 2008
Bias is a funny thing. I wonder how I would feel about the smooth, boy-band-with-instruments pop of Eskobar if they were from Saginaw, MI instead of Stockholm, Sweden. Do I allow this simplistic and uplifting style to invade my brain because of some skewed form of primitivism? America invented rock music so the rest of the world is allowed to lag behind? This begs the question: why do I actually like Band A more than Band B? How often do these random outside factors outshine the musical merits of an album? Did you eat lunch today? That was a test! But seriously, I think the echoic melodies of “Flat Earth” or the radio rock balladry of “Unique” stand on their own two legs regardless of my idiotic thought processes. Spending too much time pondering the reasons we do things is for nerds in white coats, not a totally hip dude in dunks.
Pretty much every type of feel-good pop makes an appearance on Death in Athens. The band goes from ABBA dance grooves (“As The World Turns”) to soft rock (“Hallelujah New World”) to electronica-for-parents (“Thinkin’ About You”). It’s like when guys say a wall is pink and girls say it’s salmon. The differences are slim, but to the right snobs they are important. This jumpy strategy is usually a risk for bands. If one style is done well and then neglected for a different, less rewarding style, it’s much easier to tell. Clearly, retro works for these dudes. Daniel Bellqvist’s velvety pipes are produced with a ridiculous amount of sheen, which thankfully fit perfectly over the 80’s synth pop of “One Life” or the kidz bop-via-U2 of “You Can’t Hear Me.” These wonderfully cheesy numbers are fist pumpers for the sweater vest set.
But when you’ve just finished jazzercising, you’re not looking to mingle with creepy lyrics and synthesized woodwind instruments (“Ready Or Not”). If that wasn’t enough, right after the creepster concerto ends, you’re hit with an abomination by the name of “Poisonous Kiss.” I’ve seen talk about The Higher being a glorified boy band; this is what The Higher would sound like if they started dressing in matching track suits and ditched their instruments once and for all. It’s so slick you’ll fall right onto the skip button. You see, those are the only bad songs on Death in Athens, but they stick out so much it’s hard to simply shrug them off. Eskobar clearly spent lots of time picking genres and influences. It's not a stretch to say that two terrible songs could easily become ten.
Or I could stop being pessimistic and point you towards “Obvious,” which most closely resembles their fascinating self-titled release from 2006. The mixture of rock riffs and Bellqvist’s airy voice is what Athlete wish they had. The chorus will no doubt lodge itself in the exact brain space you were saving for the day you finally got the number of the hot disaffected girl from British Lit. Trust me, “Obvious” is a better usage of this space (“It’s obvious / The easy things / They never happen to me”). She's not as smart as you think. (Her favourite British author is Douglas Adams!) Lend her your copy of Canterbury Tales, turn up Death in Athens and moonwalk out of the room. Forget how good she looks in leggings. You've got Eskobar.
Recommended If You Like: The Essex Green, funny, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, RIYL's, Guillemots, are hard
www.myspace.com/officialeskobar