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A fellow music lover and good friend of mine is quite wary of what one might call deceptive packaging in music. You know, that thing where a band says that the sound like some other band, or that they’re in some particular subgenre (or when their publicist uses the RIYL* and references another well-known band), and then they sound nothing like you expect.<\/p>\n
It happens more often than he or I would like. Oftentimes, my resultant disappointment is enough to put me off the band completely. But occasionally, I’ll find that I appreciate what they have on offer even if it doesn’t sync with how they were being marketed. That’s largely the case with Casual Strangers<\/strong>. On their self-titled and self-released debut (vinyl) LP, this Austin quartet purports to have elements of krautrock<\/a> and psychedelia in their mix. And while there’s a droning vibe to some of their songs (ostensibly, that’d be the krautrock), and they have male-and-female lead vocals a la fellow Austinites The Black Angels<\/strong> (that’s where you’d check the psych box), Casual Strangers have more of an 80s alternarock sound about them.<\/p>\n Certainly there are elements that at least partially justify the genre associations in their press kit: Moog analog synths on the record, and 3D graphics on the cover (complete with 3D glasses in the package). On the opening track, \u201cTune Your Brain,\u201d crunchy\/grunge-y guitars are supported by thudding basslines and sampled drums. But the song quickly unfolds into something more interesting and deeply-textured. \u201cCasual Strangers (We Used to Be Friends)\u201d has a romantic, slinky feel, and the juxtaposition of gentle picking on electric guitar with warbling synthesizer provides a dreamy air of regret. But when Katey Gunn<\/strong> launches into her spoken-word monologue (complete with \u201cno duh\u201d and \u201cdude,\u201d) I couldn’t help be reminded of Moon Unit Zappa<\/strong> on \u201cValley Girl,\u201d or Julie Brown<\/strong>‘s \u201cHomecoming Queen’s Got a Gun.\u201d Comedy songs both; I’m pretty sure that’s not the association that Casual Strangers were hoping for.<\/p>\n Several of the songs employ drum machines that give way to real drums; it’s an odd signature, but it pulls the listener into the songs in unexpected ways. The band goes all-out with a stinging lead guitar solo to open \u201cLooking Good.\u201d Coupling that with the song’s male\/female vocal dialogue between Gunn and Paul Waclawsky<\/strong>, and you end up with a rocking take on Berlin<\/strong>‘s \u201cSex (I’m a…).\u201d That said, the tune could use a few more lyrics; here, they’re approaching Silver Convention<\/strong> territory in their lyrical sparseness.<\/p>\n \u201cBanshee\u201d features more of Gunn’s icy spoken-word approach; here she has a sort of Nico<\/strong> feel (without the Teutonic accent, of course). Waclawsky’s soaring guitar is the best thing about the song (and, I’m beginning to think, the album as a whole). \u201cSpace Blues\u201d could well be titled \u201cHey Joe, Part 23.\u201d But the band’s combination of the blues form and a psychedelic feel might remind some of Muddy Waters<\/strong>‘ Electric Mud<\/em> album. It’s not very original, but it’s fun, and I expect it goes over great live onstage.<\/p>\n \u201cCaribbean Cask\u201d applies the band’s style to a vaguely exotica-flavored tune (courtesy of Gunn’s lap steel), with bonus points for spaghetti western-styled reverb guitar. An instrumental track (save for some \u201cfound\u201d vocal snippets), it’s one of the best and most original tracks on Casual Strangers<\/em>.<\/p>\n The start-every-song-with-a-drum-machine schtick being to wear thin by \u201cDon’t Worry About a Thing.\u201d The song itself is good, full of Dream Syndicate<\/strong><\/a>-style melodrama. Here Waclawsky takes his turn at talking-not-singing, which is fine if you enjoy an album filled with that kind of thing.<\/p>\n Despite its drum machine intro (see also: too friggin’ many other tracks here) and yet more spoken vocals (Waclawsky), the guitar and sonic effect on \u201cCats Meow\u201d make it worth checking out.<\/p>\n The less said about \u201cPut Your Mussy On My Mussy,\u201d the better. It might<\/em> be a piss-take on early 80s suburban punk; it might not. Either way, listening to it is an annoying way to spend 1:48.<\/p>\n More found audio provides the opening of the album closer, \u201cCasual Strangers (See You Around).\u201d Once the drum machine does its obligatory thing, the brief number serves up a catchy melody. Though it features a too-spare-by-half lyric, its boppy, Cure<\/strong>-like arrangement is catchy. And when I hear the \u201cSee you next time\u201d shout-out as the song fades, I want to respond, \u201cOkay, but bring more songs like on Side One and this last bit, leave the drum machine at home, and…sing!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Verdict: Mostly not psychedelic. Mostly not krautrockish. But not without its charms, in a vaguely 80s retro sort of way.<\/p>\n * “Review If You Like…”<\/p>\n
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