Stephen James Buckley & The Feverdreamers Have Left The Building

OK, first proper post since my re-purposing of this blog.

Stephen James Buckley is one of the men behind Hello Bamboo, which would lead you to believe that he's some kind of barely-functioning sexual sadist that spends his spare time (of which he has lots) inventing new, innovative and despicable methods of pleasuring himself.  As it happens, that's the drummer, but I wager Stephen isn't far behind on the sly.  Anyway, this is his other band.  Here, the in-jokes and knob gags are exchanged for a rather inward-looking sincerity.  The humour is there, but it's very self-deprecating.  Onwards.

(I should point out that, as I am listening to the e.p. and writing this review, someone on my street is sobbing uncontrollably.  I hope that these events aren't connected.  It's making me feel rather uncomfortable.)

... Have Left The Building kicks off with 'Behind The Moon'.  A synthesized intro leads us towards a voice reminiscent of Benjamin Smoke.  It's a sad song, granted, but there's something about the bells and 'ahhhh' backing vocals that are uplifting.  Bittersweet.

'Fabulous Club' is a far rockier affair.  Stabby rhythms and a wandering, walking bassline, tied together with a tremolo-picked lead guitar accompany a fairly vitriolic assault on the concept of cool.  It's a straight-up rock and roll song; something that is nice to hear when many bands are keen to pigeonhole themselves as anything but.

'Cover Of The Rolling Stone' is a song by Dr Hook And The Medicine Show that I haven't heard, so I have to judge this on its own merits, and not as an interpretation of someone else's work.  The verse is neotraditional country, in the vein of Hank III or maybe the Drive-By Truckers in their less raucous moments.  There's a wonderfully atonal guitar solo, and the ending of the song is chaotic, seemingly aiming to capture a slice of studio life.  Maybe.  They sound like they're having fun, which is infectious.

'Behind The Moon (Reprise)' actually tops the opening track, in my opinion.  Good as the vocals are, taking them away allows us to hear the fairly intricate layering of sounds.  I can't quite put my finger on of what it reminds me, but it sounds a bit wintery.  Which, in a crappy July, is something to look forward to.

An interesting collection of songs, possibly over-diverse for one short e.p., but is that a bad thing?  It's a lot better than every song sounding like it's come from a formulaic toolkit of potential music, that's for sure.  Regardless of this possible criticism, a nod has to be given to the actual sound of the record.  Stephen has said that this was "[n]ot an exercise in production ProTools", and it's all the better for it.  A creaky, juddering collection of songs, best-suited to being listened to while a stranger weeps in the background.