Spring Break
'Close To Me' Is Close To Good
Dan Gross
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Focus
The debut EP "Close to Me" by The Comfies, is now out in stores. Their name may be a little disconcerting, but it's absolutely the kind of name, and music, that grows on you and describes their style.
The Comfies features four unique musicians, who should be able to find their audience in given time. Members are vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Benjamin Harper, bassist Nathan Hansen, drummer Sam Smith, and guitarist/instrumentalist Raf Cevallos. They are a Nashville-based homegrown quartet with many influences including The Kinks, The Zombies and Wings. Rest assured, however, that these guys have forged a style all their own.
The style is very difficult to describe, which is why I'll leave that to the press release I received: "The band creates a musical mélange stacking rich harmonies on infectious refrains, surrounding the listener with layers of dreamy pop rock." I probably wouldn't describe their style that glowingly, but that is essentially it.
The EP seems to rest entirely on experimental, yet formulaic, pop rock compositions designed entirely to captivate the ears. No two songs on this EP share the same flavor and rhythm (not too hard to achieve with only seven songs), and I certainly admire that energetic quality about this album. In fact, a lot of songs don't keep the same flavor and rhythm throughout.
From the infectious drum, cymbal, and guitar patterns in songs like "Close to Me" and "Medicine," to the progressively discordant rhythms of songs like "That's What She Gets" and "In My Room," this is a finely eclectic album well-suited to private listening.
The one major potential flaw with this EP is in the lyrics. They're not bad but they are very vacuous, and sometimes perplexing when you take the effort to listen to them. If you're the kind of music fan who values well-written, insightful, singable lyrics, then you will most likely hate The Comfies. One can tell easily that the lyrics are not high in priority for this band; it's almost as if the melodies and arrangements are written first, then lyrics are written around them. It's as if you're not meant to pay attention to what's being said by Benjamin Harper's charismatic voice, making the lyrics very difficult to admire or dissect.
The best example of this is the song "Your Sunshine," where you really begin to notice the excessively elaborate melody that sometimes drowns out or doesn't quite fit Harper's vocal spinnings.
The only songs on this album where lyrics even come close to being important are "Understanding 23" and "Dear Miss Anderson," where you quickly realize that a lot of the fun has been sucked out as a consequence.
The strengths and flaws of this album, however, go hand in hand.
What the press release refers to as "musical munchies" is simply what The Comfies do best. They may make it big one day, and you may even be hearing their stuff in movie trailers or TV commercials at some point, but if you're looking for music with any sort of gravity or substance, steer clear.
If you're looking for some good, interesting melody music to put on your iPod, however, I recommend The Comfies wholeheartedly.
The Comfies features four unique musicians, who should be able to find their audience in given time. Members are vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Benjamin Harper, bassist Nathan Hansen, drummer Sam Smith, and guitarist/instrumentalist Raf Cevallos. They are a Nashville-based homegrown quartet with many influences including The Kinks, The Zombies and Wings. Rest assured, however, that these guys have forged a style all their own.
The style is very difficult to describe, which is why I'll leave that to the press release I received: "The band creates a musical mélange stacking rich harmonies on infectious refrains, surrounding the listener with layers of dreamy pop rock." I probably wouldn't describe their style that glowingly, but that is essentially it.
The EP seems to rest entirely on experimental, yet formulaic, pop rock compositions designed entirely to captivate the ears. No two songs on this EP share the same flavor and rhythm (not too hard to achieve with only seven songs), and I certainly admire that energetic quality about this album. In fact, a lot of songs don't keep the same flavor and rhythm throughout.
From the infectious drum, cymbal, and guitar patterns in songs like "Close to Me" and "Medicine," to the progressively discordant rhythms of songs like "That's What She Gets" and "In My Room," this is a finely eclectic album well-suited to private listening.
The one major potential flaw with this EP is in the lyrics. They're not bad but they are very vacuous, and sometimes perplexing when you take the effort to listen to them. If you're the kind of music fan who values well-written, insightful, singable lyrics, then you will most likely hate The Comfies. One can tell easily that the lyrics are not high in priority for this band; it's almost as if the melodies and arrangements are written first, then lyrics are written around them. It's as if you're not meant to pay attention to what's being said by Benjamin Harper's charismatic voice, making the lyrics very difficult to admire or dissect.
The best example of this is the song "Your Sunshine," where you really begin to notice the excessively elaborate melody that sometimes drowns out or doesn't quite fit Harper's vocal spinnings.
The only songs on this album where lyrics even come close to being important are "Understanding 23" and "Dear Miss Anderson," where you quickly realize that a lot of the fun has been sucked out as a consequence.
The strengths and flaws of this album, however, go hand in hand.
What the press release refers to as "musical munchies" is simply what The Comfies do best. They may make it big one day, and you may even be hearing their stuff in movie trailers or TV commercials at some point, but if you're looking for music with any sort of gravity or substance, steer clear.
If you're looking for some good, interesting melody music to put on your iPod, however, I recommend The Comfies wholeheartedly.
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