Everybody Else - Everybody Else Record Label - The Militia Group Release Date - 04.03.07
I have a tattoo on my collarbone that scribes the word “simplicity.” It’s an ode to an ultimate lifestyle that I only hope to aspire. I want to live my life to the simplest forms, taking pleasure from the simplest of things. Sitting by a campfire, Taco Bell, good book or take music, for example – listening to music, absorbing music, and breathing music. When a band makes simplistically fantastic music, it is tremendous and irresistible. It provokes swells of joy and content with, in all literalness, a push of a play button. When I listen to other bands, I rarely appreciate music for its bare, bottom line beauty, but I sure as hell wish I did.
Everybody Else’s Everybody Else breezes on by like a simple rock band, and this is why the L.A. trio is so effective to make me move. “Meat Market” is equal parts beachfront rock and pop, equal parts retro and modern. It begins with a great hook, a hand clap (a personal weakness of mine), and a Buddy Holly or Elvis Costello sheen that feels fresh and Disney Channel provocative. “Faker,” the second whirl on the merry-go-round, is another take at the same kind of fun. Within these two bottlerockets, Everybody Else, named after a Kinks b-side, already pumps me up like a deflated balloon. It’s campy, but that’s the point.
Singer and guitarist Carrick Moore Gerety is slightly fragile on softer tracks like the beginning of “In Memoriam” or “The Longest Hour Of My Life”, but his wispy, breathy and almost nerdy upkeep is simultaneously earnest, soulful and pop accessible. Without a second guitarist, Gerety uses different wailing effects to coincide and compliment his hooks (“Born To Do” and “Without You”), also helping to beef up any holes. Even though the band uses momentum to keep the album exciting and moving, there is still a minimalist approach to fun dance rock with only three members. Drummer Mikey McCormack maintains the clap, and his key work on “The Longest Hour Of My Life” is ready for a romantic comedy.
Lyrically, I would like to like Everybody Else. The song themes call from images like ripped blue jeans (“In Memoriam”) or skating along 17th street (“Alone In The World”) - all relate-able material. This helps Everybody Else’s simple rock even sweeter to swallow. Gerety is undecided on his chick’s socioeconomic status on the hip “Rich Girls, Poor Girls,” but the lines are not as clever as I naturally presume. The subject matter seems destined for at least a few zinging one-liners, yet there are few on the album that come to mind. I find myself only crooning along with the hooks and forgetting the rest.
Simplicity is a virtue that I may never reach in full, but that’s why bands like Everybody Else are still striking; I am able to harness and enjoy that simplicity for the duration of this recording. Unfussy lines of melody and songs that use light attitudes aren’t unprecedented, but they can certainly carry a tune better than most pop-rock acts.
Man, I am envious of your writing style. I love the way you review albums, and I have to say, you are partly a model of inspiration for me when I write them as well. This was a fantastic read and a very well-written critique. Nicely done, Julia!
I find this album to be fun, breezy and, more or less, a simple lesson in the teachings of old school rock n' roll.
good review...since I've been interning for this label I've got to hear more and more and about them and they are really good...I wouldn't dount it if they become the next big thing
Man, I am envious of your writing style. I love the way you review albums, and I have to say, you are partly a model of inspiration for me when I write them as well.
Man, I am envious of your writing style. I love the way you review albums, and I have to say, you are partly a model of inspiration for me when I write them as well. This was a fantastic read and a very well-written critique. Nicely done, Julia!
I find this album to be fun, breezy and, more or less, a simple lesson in the teachings of old school rock n' roll.
This may be one of the best compliments I've ever received. Really, thank you.
And you really summed it up well.
"a simple lesson in the teachings of old school rock n' roll" - I wish I could have mentioned that in my review.
Yeah, this album is pretty excellent. It was 78 degrees and sunny here this weekend. I cannot think of too many albums better suited to driving around with the windows down in that kind of weather. It is like pop punk for adults. Love it.
another awesome review julia! you have a way of writing thats just simply impressive. i gotta say, they remind me a little of old school marvelous 3. and i like that a lot.
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