| CD REVIEW The Soft Pack |
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Band : The Soft Pack Originally based in San Diego, but now working from Los Angeles, The Soft Pack was originally known as The Muslims. Founded by guitarists Matty McLoughlin and Matt Lamkin (the first continously rehearsing on his instrument, the second also fancying himself a singer-songwriter), who were apalled by their hometown’s bands fake approach on Punky Garage Rock (imagine guys walking around with scarves in palm tree lanes), the twosome went for something more honest, swiftly put together enough songs (cited to sound as a mix of The Modern Lovers with The Fall and The Velvet Underground) to do a show, and started playing the local scene with bassists and drummers coming and going. From a goof local band they worked themselves up to an exceptionally good band, released two (limited edition) 7-inch singles and an EP (12-inch) through several labels, and had become a tight quartet with the addition of highschool friend Dave Lantzman on bass and San Diego drumming legend Brian Hill to their line-up, by the time they were invited to play at CMJ in October 2008. Up to then, their bandname had never been a problem, but then the press started sniffin’ around this biggest buzz in town, and following some offensive suggestions as to what the bandname might mean, The Muslims became The Soft Pack. TSP then spent a lot of time on the road, both in America and Europe, and spending a lot of time with each other the guys got to know each other much better, talking about the music they like. As a result, the musical output (another single released in March 2009, the May 2009 release of the 6-track EP Extinction – mind you, still all on limited edition turnout) got more and more defined, and refined! By the time the band retired to their newly adopted home of Los Angeles during Summer 2009, the guys were focused in what kind of music they wanted to make together, and for the first time actually wrote songs as a quartet. Once the 10 songs written and properly rehearsed, they moved their stuff to Brooklyn, NY’s Saltland Studios, where they recorded the material with former Girls Against Boys member Eli Janney. Thanks to Janney’s keen understanding of what the band wanted, and the fact that the band had done a decent pre-production work-out, the recordings came along rather swiftly. When asked what inspirartions the band had when writing the album, they’ll answer: “REM’s Murmur, Television’s Marquee Moon, Weezer’s first album, Wire’s Pink Flag, The Fall: Live At The Witch Trials, Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die, and The Only Ones by The Only Ones…in no particular order!”…and when listening to the result on album, you will indeed find something of these bands in TSP’s music! Actually, when listening to the album you feel like as if the clock was turned back about 40 years. The janglin’ guitars and full-trottle rhythm section have a way of creating that kind of illusion, and the occasional use of (possibly vintage) organ keyboard simply makes the picture complete. What with the album already out a month by the time I finally got around making this review, I already had the opportunity to read reviews in a couple of magazines, but what I read…I mean, calling TSP and “Indie” band? Even after the label did the effort to give the reviewer no less than 3 pages of band history along with the download copy of the album? It proves once and for all that sóme “music journalists” are led only by their own narrow view on music, and don’t even bother to do any research at that! Okay, so when push comes to shove, the label perhaps overdid its propaganda on this band by calling them the most exciting young band in America. I mean, of course you’ll expect sóme exagerations, but the PR man could’ve been a bit more expliciit as to the genre these youngster play! Anyway, if you’re into late ‘60s- early ‘70s Garage Rock/ Punk, you should by all means check this band out! So, to listen to some of the band’s material (only 3 songs, I’m afraid, and only one off this album) surf on over to myspace.com/thesoftpack. The shitty thing about being so late in getting this review out, is I’m also late in letting you know the guys will be playing the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels on March 3, as part of their European tour which started on February 12 in the UK, and end in Germany of March the 7th! 82/100 Tony. |