First off starting around January 28th (I still don’t know the official day/time) I am back on the air. You can hear me on BSR Live either on the internet or the radio in Providence, RI on 88.1 WELH. That being said I have been trying to drag myself back into the wretched world of music review. Luckily, there are some good projects in the works. I will try to write up some reviews of what I have found clanking around the internet or the radio station. To start off I wanted to mention “Murder Mystery” and their new and lengthily named album “Are You Ready for the Heartache Because Here it Comes.” This is their debut and it hits stores very soon. It is a fun little jaunt through the world of twee indie rock. It never really sinks into the realm of “precious kitsch ” but comes absurdly close while still being most excellent. In their pre-release promo material they claim a grand heritage ranging from Lou Reed to early Beatles to Magnetic Fields. While that is all well and good their sound definitely seems to hew more closely to The Jesus and Mary Chain and Beat Happening. They have more contemporary pop sensibility than either of those but follow in that more narrow tradition than anything else they have been hyped to be. It has an intimate lyrical quality while giving a nod to the more rock-a-billy elements of American music while dabbling in pop sounds. The overall effect is quite pleasing. They definitely make memorable splashes on a couple tracks and the rest are not bad at all. I have a feeling that people will be eagerly awaiting a second album.

The album is littered with love songs, both mourning love lost and excited about love found. It is all very teen melodramatic. This is not to say that it is juvenile by any means. It throws enough ironic deadpan into the mix to make it enjoyable pop rather than trashy teen pop. The droll voice of Jeremy Coleman carries the lyrics, transforming them from teen cliche into excellent indie pop. Laura Coleman, drummer and sister of Jeremy, provides a wonderful harmony throughout most of the songs. She is able to subtly flesh out and bring life to the male Coleman’s lyrics, giving them a verve that really sells the best tracks on this album. The same can be said of Adam Fels (bass) and Graham Roberts (rhythm guitar) who also provide harmonic depth to the vocals. The modus operandi of the band is a rock-a-billy double guitar and bass line with crisp drumming. The music is overlaid with clear vocals. The band spends plenty of time wandering on solos but never obnoxiously so.

The album opens with the title track “Who Doesn’t Wanna Give Me Love” (it is telling that it is Wanna and not Want To), which gives us the “Are You Ready For The Heartache ‘Cause Here It Comes” (notice the contractual “‘Cause”). With the second track, “In A Sentimental Mood,” they settle into a nice groove for the album. The next track, however, shows that the band is willing to experiment some, not getting too far afield but different nonetheless. “Love Astronaut” channels some Postal Service with its melding of electronic tag lines with more conventional vocals. The result is one of the best songs on the album. It is a little kitschy but inordinately enjoyable on the ears. The rest of the album vacillates between reinterpretation of late 50’s rock and the more blusey stylings of “Cold, Hard Workin’ Man.” The songs are fun and short. What they lack in depth they make up for in pure enjoyment. I definitely recommend this album for a listen. You will probably find yourself listening it to it more and more in the spare minutes when you aren’t craving anything specific but don’t want to be bored or annoyed by the sound. This is not to make the album sound shallow, it isn’t. It carves out a nice spot in the modern indie pantheon as a throwback to the heyday of twee sounds.

Samples are available:

- Love Astronaut
- Honey Come Home

These are both from the debut album “Are You Ready For The Heartache ‘Cause Here It Comes.” The band is also currently touring the US to promote the album. They seem like they would be a good live band.