The Parties – Can’t Come Down

The Parties – Can’t Come Down

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Sometimes a band will be out of step with the music of their era. Their sound could be completely new, or it could be a throwback to long lost times. In the case of The Parties, it is definitely the latter.

The San Francisco quartet came up in the mid-2000s but sounded exactly like something that came out of the mid-60s. Led by Jeremy Powers and Sarah Mehlfield, they had a fine interplay. Their guitars jangled and chimed, and the production on their albums was raw and energetic. They also wove their voices in perfect harmony.

In 2008, The Parties released their debut album Can’t Come Down. It must have sounded fresh and nostalgic in an ever-changing musical landscape. But how does it hold up today?

“Damned By The Sunshine” jangles like Teenage Fanclub and Tom Petty with great harmonies between the four members. The sweetness of the melody combined with the agony of the lyrics makes for a nice contrast. It’s a delicious pop rock song in a style rarely heard outside of Britain in the 60s.

“Yours and Mine” has a gentle psychedelic pop feel. The Rickenbackers are out front, and Powers and Mehlfield harmonize nicely. “Waterfall” – unrelated to The Stone Roses song – features four-part harmonies and has slight surf rock vibe. The solo has a nice delay on it, and the guitars are panned left to right, which is a nice touch.

But perhaps “Gotta Get Out” is the greatest highlight. Jangling 12-string and hammertone guitars form a riff resembling something Echo and The Bunnymen would do in their underrated McCulloch-less Reverberation era. The verses have sweet harmonies between Powers and Mehlfield.

Albums can be grandiose in sound, but they don’t always have to be. Sometimes simple production and sweet songcraft is enough. Can’t Come Down is a deliberately minor release. But the light satisfaction of The Parties is where their unassuming beauty lies.

Rainbow Quartz International/2008

 

 

 

 

The Asteroid No.4 – These Flowers Of Ours: A Treasury Of Witchcraft And Devilry

 

The Asteroid No.4 – These Flowers Of Ours: A Treasury Of Witchcraft And Devilry

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Some albums are summer albums. Some are winter ones. But albums suited for the fall are a special breed. As a time in between the optimism of summer and the desolate short days of winter, autumn is a season of sighing satisfaction. The last hurrah.

The Asteroid No.4 are the perfect soundtrack for this time. Their lazy, hazy sound recalls both The Byrds and Spacemen 3 in equal measure. But there is another key point of reference in their sound. The Nuggets box set is a CD collection anthologizing rare garage rock from the earliest psychedelic era.

As writer Jenell Kesler pointed out in Psychedelic Baby magazine, an obscure band from the 60s on the box set called The Chocolate Watchband has all the hallmarks of the Asteroid sound. Hazy, reverbed production, a keen interest in the surreal, and garage rock sound.

In 2008, The Asteroid released their sixth album. Entitled These Flowers Of Ours: A Treasury Of Witchcraft And Devilry, it promised to be another example of hazy drone and dreamy melody. But how does it stack up against their other work?

“Hold On” features a bluesy harmonica and a minor key mid-tempo electric guitar in the vein of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. As the track builds towards a dreamy climax, the band maintains its tempo. The three chords and dreamy harmonies of the chorus reach for the sky. And they know they don’t have to rush.

The Asteroids go a step further on “She Touched The Sky.” Starting out with an electric rhythm guitar part, the drums come crashing in with a lead guitar drenched in delays. The whole band is on their a-game, and it feels like a spiritual awakening.

Much like what The Verve were able to do on A Storm In Heaven, The Asteroids demonstrate that there is spirituality beyond theism. And that is the religion of music. It’s the kind of song where the listener must remind him or herself that this is in fact music made by human beings.

But perhaps “Let It Go” is the best of the bunch. A Rickenbacker guitar jangles similarly to The Byrds, and the drums come crashing in. Scott Vittorelli’s voice enters, describing a breakup that he can’t get over.

While contemporaries like The Parties were in full retro mode, The Asteroid mixed their influences with modern touches. When the lead guitars wash over the chorus, the song transitions to a shoegazing sound like that of Ride. 

The beauty of “Let It Go” is that it is both anthemic and reflective. Vittorelli relationship problems give the song an emotional center, but the music is optimistic. In this sense, it is the ultimate autumn song.

The Asteroid No.4 may not get the attention they deserve, but they have amassed a great back catalog of material. At the top of the pile is These Flowers Of Ours: A Treasury Of Witchcraft And Devilry. It’s mix of chiming guitars, bluesy harmonica, and vast soundscapes has something for all of life’s travelers.

The Committee To Keep Music Evil/2008