|
 Artist: edibleRed
Album: "Welcome to My Bad Behavior"
Website: edibleRed.com | MySpace
New York City seems to be the mecca of new, raw indie talent. edibleRed, is a five-piece band, whose front woman's hair goes well with the outfit. This is one of the new, up-and-coming bands to take a bite out of the Big Apple. It's also the only band to proudly feature a cellist.
edibleRed's brand of indie music rings with sounds from some of the more rowdier, harder groups of the 60s, 70s, 80s—all the way up through to the 90s. The band seems well equipped to deliver a CD's worth of good tunes, considering the drummer and co-conspirator of the band is Grammy nominee, Tom Papadatos. Their sound is closest to the Go Go's early 80s stuff.
Apparently, edibleRed has quite a following. Even comedian Steven Wright says, "Emotional vocals, piercing guitars... I highly recommend them!" His comment seems to be as monotone as his voice.
Based on their track record, which boasts a performance for 10,000 people at Pittsburgh's First Night celebration, a live performance on FUSE, a starring part in a half-hour reality show called A Makeover Story on the Learning Channel, and rave reviews from the Village Voice, Time Out New York and The Pittsburgh Tribune Review, one would be more than convinced that this band is well on its way to greatness.
edibleRed's group members are nothing to sneeze. All are gifted in one way or another, and hold bragging rights about formal fine arts training at some of the most prestigious music and art colleges around the Northeast. Lead singer Collette McLafferty is a classically trained singer, who just so happens to have rock and roll leanings.
Tom Papadatos, as mentioned before, is a Grammy-nominee drummer. Dave Eggar is an accomplished and well-respected cellist. He has toured with some of the finest rock bands our there now—Evanescence, The Who at Carnegie Hall...he also sat in as a sessions musician for Breaking Benjamin and Nelly Furtado.
Sean McMechan, the lead guitarist, and Marty Osterer, the bass player, each have their fair share of accomplishments. Sean has paid his dues, sweating up on stage with various, local metal bands throughout New Jersey. Marty added a number-one single to his credit when he sat in as a sessions bassist for Murder Inc Records. He's worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Ja Rule, LL Cool J and Kelly Price.
You would think with all this talent under one recording studio's roof, something more would emerge, other than just the music one hears on the band's latest release, due out this May, Welcome to My Bad Behavior.
After listening to a few songs from their latest release, it seemed as if the group did little more than copy an old style, rather than enhance it with new twists, original lyrics and something snappy that would stay with someone long after they moved onto another album.
To get an idea of what is being said here, let's review a few songs.
"Sugar and Spring" is a pop song, bordering along the pure-vs-alternative line. It's strongly reminiscent of the Go Go's, with Belinda Carlisle's sugary sweet, yet innocently passionate vocals. The heavy drum beating and bass line are pure and basic, no unwanted frills. Along with the rhythm sections' gifted backbone, there is a sixties-sounding organ. It's more like pseudo-sixties, if there is any such thing. The organ playing gets a bit experimental, and gives one the feeling they're watching the Groovy Goolies cartoon where Wolfie and The Mummy are jamming to some Gothic-tasting bubblegum gibberish. The end of the song suddenly picks up tempo in the traditional meaning of the word, allegro, which makes its ending sound a lot like the end of an old Monkees' song.
"Hey Ya" is a remake from the band Outkast. The original version is funkier, with driving, heavy drums. edibleRed's interpretation is totally different. Collette puts a slower, more suave twist to it by singing it in a haunting key, with sultry, sexy come-hither vocals. A melancholy organ, played with minor chords, accompanies her singing. Even though this version doesn't necessarily merit radio play, it is novel for someone who'd be a follower of this band's approach to music. It seems like typical pop-alternative when it's forced rough and rockier intensity changes the mood in the middle of the song.
The band's repertoire also includes "Paralyzed", a moving melody that opens with emotionally-driven violins and an acoustic guitar, then it jumps right in with a pounding, hard-strumming electric guitar and bass. The bass is rich and wastes no time making its point clear. The no non-sense drumming is done with personality. Collette's vocals show some bold and daring attitude as well, but the lyrics are nothing to get excited about. They can neither be describe as deep nor meaningful. They serve to shout angrily about the loss of one's loved one. They scream the sentiments of anyone who's suffered through a bad relationship and lived to complain about it.
"Purify" comes in with the bass sounding something very close to The Doors. The vocals are hauntingly creepy and Gothic. It has an East Indian flair to it. This piece clearly demonstrates the band's experimental side. Trying to place the proper adjectives to it is challenging. It's droopy and lazy in mood. Envision someone, traipsing around in a trance through an English Garden, dragging their feet on a lonely overcast Sunday afternoon. That pretty much sums up what listening to this song sounds like.
One can say this about edibleRed, they are interesting. People drawn to a deeper, more Gothic version of early-80s pop music would find this band appealing. This is by far NOT a party album, instead it is a CD one listens to when they are alone and want some retro-like tunes playing in the background while they are busy doing other things.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! lqakvprcfcgdbd |
