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Indie Music Spotlight: Curtains for You
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Curtains for You
When I was introduced to the music of Seattle's Curtains for You, I was told to expect "The Beatles meets Vaudeville meets The Muppet Show." While I didn't find myself with a strong urge to throw fish a la Lew Zealand, I can say that's not an altogether inaccurate description of What a Lovely Surprise to Wake Up Here (Spark and Shine Records).
This is a band that employs harmonies that are reminiscent not only of The Beatles, but also The Byrds. As for The Muppet Show influence, there is definitely some Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem influence. Don't believe me? Just listen to the piano on "Dumb Angel" or "Clanging of the Masses" and try to tell me that you never heard Dr. Teeth play anything like that.
But to say that this band is an agglomeration of The Beatles, Vaudeville, and The Muppet Show offers a fairly incomplete picture. The energy and humor that this band brings to its songs is reminiscent of Barenaked Ladies and Weezer. "It's an unimpressive orbit around the sun that somehow seems to disappoint everyone," the singer declares in "Title Bout." That sort of dry observation is what reminds me of those two aforementioned bands. And then there is "Small Change" has the same sort of hot jazz sound that Squirrel Nut Zippers built a career on.
Between the harmony vocals and the instrumentation, there is a lot going on in these songs. You need look no further than "Roadtrip to Disaster" for an example of how well these tunes are orchestrated. However, at the same time, there is a bit of chaos and madness in these songs. That is one of the things I find so charming. I don't mean chaos and madness in some kind of avant-garde way. More along the lines of "Chicken Payback" by A Band of Bees. Somehow every song is very busy, but this band makes it work. This is a collection of 10 uptempo songs that are bound to get you moving your head and your feet. Even if I have never seen your music collection, I feel pretty comfortable saying you don't have anything quite like this on your shelves.
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