Citizen Dick

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Citizen Dick: Songs for Tuesdays- Album Review
July 2nd 2009

Take a gander at that album cover (click on it if you want the experience writ large): primary-hued crayola markers, cut-outs of birds from nature magazines, flowers and hearts, in short a veritable explosion of riotous technicolor happy times, devoid of pretension or angst, essentially screaming that the world is a place full of sunshine and puppy dogs. It’s a nice visual accompaniment to the debut full-length from Australian quintet Summer Cats. (When this one popped into our inbox, I was hoping that the name was a Wilco-esque play on words, as in “Summer cats, some are dogs,” but this does not appear to be the case. I think it’s reference to, you know, cats in summer.)

While the cover offers the graphic embodiment of the band’s modus operandi, a lyric from the bouncy, jangly beach-pop track “St. Tropez,” offers the linguistic equivalent: “I could be anywhere, anywhere but here…I could be holding your hand all night as we go dancing in LA/Walking into a bar and order you a tonic and Tangueray/hanging out with Rico, while making out with Nico.” Take those two things together, an explosion of bright colors and an endless summer-esque wanderlust and you’ve got Songs for Tuesdays in a nutshell. These are songs for rolled-down windows and tube tops, infused with a hooky pop-sensibility, an ear for sing-along-ability and, overall, a refreshing joie de vivre. (Is it douchey to use French phrases in reviews? I can never remember.)

The opening track, “Let’s Go,” sets the tone for much of the record, with an anthemic plea to go someplace on a jet plane accompanied by by background “na-na-na-na”s, a sneaky, oily, nostalgic keyboard line, big broad stroke guitars and bouncy percussion, complete with a periodic tambourine sound. The next twelve tracks proceed in much the same vein, tapping a sunny California 60s vibe while providing a fine enough layer of grit and crunch to satisfy the modern ear. There are also familiar tropes that are given a new twist, always a nice trick. The track “Fulton Girls” obviously owes a debt to “California Girls,” but is absolutely hilarious (far more so than the latter). “Fell in love with a Fulton girl/it’s not hard to do/they’re a lot taller and better looking than you” repeated a few times over a killer guitar riff and keyboard line left me both holding my sides and tapping my feet. It pokes fun at the notion of geographically-motivated desire, while maintaining its catchiness. (I’m pretty sure that David Lee Roth tried to make the same joke that Summer Cats are making here, but I could be wrong.) “Maybe Pile,” easily my favorite tune on the record, recalls, briefly and tangentially, British mope rock, but while pumping it full of mood-altering drugs. The decidedly downbeat delivery of the chorus, “If you’re not ready to see another guy, but your heart might mend in awhile, put me on the maybe pile” is immediately ameliorated by a sparkling, multiple part harmonic counterpoint. Imagine “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” crossed with the chorus from “Everyday I Write the Book” and you’re in the ballpark, maybe.

These tunes are all little explosions of gleeful sound, pumping through the speakers with little delay and then shuffling off the stage. There’s only a single track here that clocks in at more than three minutes and all of the tunes have a hummingbird-like immediacy, blasting the relevant ideas into your ears and then moving on. I’m not imagining that in their previous work (a few 7″ singles and some EPs) there’s a twelve-minute suite lurking. While we’ve spent a ton of time on the lyrical content (frequently clever, consistently entertaining), the instrumental sound that the band crafts is captivating. These two and a half minute nuggets of poppy goodness are a delight to behold.

This one is going to be worth snagging purely for the brilliance that is “St. Tropez.” (I’m on record as not being able to listen to tunes while I write, but I’ve stood up from the computer several times during the drafting of this review to listen to that one again. I gave you a snippet of lyrics above. The rest are just as delightful and it’s the kind of tune that you’re glad is stuck in your head. If you don’t listen to this track on the 14th when this album hits the shelves, I’m going to be pissed.) Past that track, this album is packed with tunes that are perfect for the warmer months. In fact, it’s been a decidedly un-summerlike week in Cleveland, with overcast skies and periods of intense rain. (In other news, I got a wart removed, so it’s been a gloomy week both in terms of the climate and my own interaction with the world.) The sounds of Songs for Tuesdays have made it feel like the sun is shining throughout. Good times.

By Brian (Cleveland Ohio)