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It’s a source of some mild amusement that when I Google \u201ccorner laughers,\u201d the right-hand side of the resulting screen lists a number of the Bay Area group’s songs as dating from 1971. I’m pretty certain that at least two of the group’s number \u2013 bassist Khoi Huynh<\/strong> and his spouse, vocalist\/ukulele player Karla Kane<\/strong> \u2013 weren’t even born<\/em> in ’71.<\/p>\n But I can see where the mistake might have been made. There’s no doubt that the tuneful, upbeat, ba-ba-ba flavored music of the Corner Laughers<\/strong> has at least some of its roots the AM radio pop styles of the early 1970s. There’s certainly more to the group and their music than that: there’s a wickedly clever postmodern sensibility to their often-abstruse (but never obtuse) lyrics, and there’s nothing dated about the band’s crystal-clear production aesthetic. Their earlier two albums \u2013 most notably the discs recorded for and released on Mystery Lawn Music \u2013 set out and defined a sonic and lyrical style that was both distinctive and possessed of enough wiggle room to allow the group the freedom to move in many musical directions.<\/p>\n There’s a timeless sunshine pop sensibility to the group’s music. In the great tradition of groups like The Turtles<\/strong><\/a>, The Corner Laughers are never afraid to use \u201cla la la la\u201d as a lyric. And their music is very effective at conveying an upbeat feel, even when the lyrics are a bit dark, or a bit bent.<\/p>\n In my review of The Corner Laughers’ Poppy Seeds<\/em> (2012), I characterized<\/a> the group’s music as \u201cearwigs,\u201d that is, music that stays in the listener’s head long after the last note has faded away. And that quality is consistent on their upcoming release as well: the ten songs on Matilda Effect<\/em> (out officially in mid-June 2015) continue in the tradition of catchy musical confections.<\/p>\n And the group’s approach has ukulele as a central component. The uke isn’t rock or pop’s most common instrument \u2013 not by a long shot \u2013 but it is enjoying a resurgence, thanks to the tuneful uses to which it is being applied. The Corner Laughers weren’t hitching onto some bandwagon by adding a ukulele player, though. \u201cI just happened upon it,” Karla Kane says. \u201cKhoi just had one laying around.\u201d she picked it up and \u201cstarted noodling a bit, and then learned a few chords.\u201d Though until that time she didn’t play any instrument, Kane notes that she had already begun writing songs. \u201cThat was a long time ago,\u201d she hastens to add. \u201cI’ve been playing for awhile now.\u201d<\/p>\n Karla goes on to note that the instrument’s small size and lightweight qualities make it great for using live onstage. Hers is amplified so it can be heard alongside the guitar work of KC Bowman<\/strong> and the rhythm section of Huynh and drummer Charlie Crabtree<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The group’s live dates sound a bit different than the record, because the studio recordings make full use of multi-tracking techniques to layer Kane’s multiple vocal parts. Onstage, Kane says that \u201cKhoi and KC do a lot of the backing vocals. But,\u201d she laughs good-naturedly, \u201cthey don’t always have quite the same range as I do.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only are The Corner Laughers superb musicians, but they’re all serious fans of music. Not long ago they got the chance to work with Martin Newell<\/strong><\/a>. Kane believes that Newell should be \u201cthe most famous musician in the world.\u201d And while the music that Newell makes \u2013 both under his own name and as Cleaners From Venus<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 has a more DIY aesthetic to it than the highly-polished Corner Laughers releases (thank producer Allen Clapp<\/strong> for that), Newell’s music shares a deep understanding of the value of melody and carefully-thought-out lyrics.<\/p>\n So what did the band learn by working with the Grand Old Man of DIY? \u201cPlaying a show with him was my ideal show,\u201d Kane gushes. Her thought right after the gig: \u201cWhat do I do now? I don’t know! That was my dream.\u201d Karla has a special appreciation for Newell’s words. \u201cHe’s the best lyricist I know. He puts such care into making the lyrics count. He literally is<\/em> a poet.\u201d She goes on to praise the quintessentially British tone of Newell’s lyrics; those same values figure into The Corner Laughers’ music. Kane says that the tune she describes as an \u201cinsomniac’s lullaby\u201d (\u201cLammas Land\u201d) was inspired by \u2013 and written immediately after \u2013 the group\u2019s performance with Newell.<\/p>\n Some of the group’s songs are lyrically impressionistic; others are about more defined subjects. \u201cThe song ‘Octavia A’ was written to be the theme song for my daughter,\u201d Kane says (Like Kane and Huynh, drummer Charlie Crabtree and his wife became parents recently). \u201cBut you don’t have to know that, or know her,\u201d Kane says, to enjoy the song.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/corner_laughers.jpg\")
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