Friday, August 7, 2009
Reviews How I Became the Bomb, Deadly Art
Posted by Adam Gold on Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 11:57 AM
How I Became the Bomb have never made any bones about their affinity for '80s aesthetics. While many bands aspire to comparisons with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones or The Beatles HIBTB are perfectly fine evoking the likes of Talk Talk, A-Ha, Culture Club or Duran Duran. Over the last few years, their keen sense for a new wave hook and idiosyncratic quirkiness have captured the attention of Middle Tennessee.
Since the band's rise to local prominence fans have eagerly awaited the release of a full-length LP. Instead, they got a series of digital EPs released over the course of 2009. Deadly Art is the full compendium of those EPs on CD and LP. Including a brand new track, upgraded recordings of fan favorites "Secret Identity" and "Killing Machine" and a faithful, yet beefed-up, cover of Paul McCartney's manic krautrock experiment "Temporary Secretary"--all of which are welcome additions--this package is really more of a deluxe compilation than a record.
Since listening to a straight 16-song succession of unabashed synth-pop-fetishizing is the musical equivalent of taking down a Cosco sized bag of M&M's in one sitting, the best way to approach Deadly Art is in sides. Pick any five- or six-song pack and nearly any track is bound to stand out more than it does when heard in the context of the disc's entirety.
Among the peaks spread across the record's grand span are moments of climactic splendor--found in songs like "Secret Identity," "Tomorrows Date," "Atlas" and the pogo-inducing romp "Gay Guy"--and songs that could have passed as B-sides from the Psychedelic Furs ("Best Man"), Devo ("Mothership") and ELO ("Harvest"). These moments are broken up by darker selections like the record's best and most ambitious cut "Blood Will Tell." Like those of some of their new-wave forebears, HIBTB lyrics are love in geek-speak. Just as Elvis Costello equated relationships with politics and fascism on Armed Forces, the Bomb speaks of relationships with metaphors of battle, military service, witness protection and cartoonish violence, and portrays star-crossed lovers as comic book style heroes and heroines.
Songs like "Action Lady" and "Stella, Dear" are so infectiously catchy it makes you wonder if the band would have a broader appeal were they not so deeply committed to their new-romantic aesthetics, but you can't change who you are. While their casting of synth- and guitar-driven pop is sure to exclude those who have a hatred--knee-jerk or otherwise--for the '80s, HIBTB tackle the idiom with a pathological love and dedication that is sincere and unapologetic. They give in to all their pop proclivities with adept fidelity and without hesitation. Fittingly the record's production shimmers with a hi-fi sheen that makes the hooks jump out of the speakers and the band sound as fresh and energetic as they do onstage. All this is bolstered by their sheer prowess as a unit. With the tools they have at their disposal--an unwavering rhythm section, sonic keyboard landscapes of Rick Wakeman proportions and delay-infused guitar work rounded out by charismatic frontman Jon Burr, whose faux-dramatic vocal affectation defines their larkish attitude--they'd be a force to reckon with no matter what genre they were to pursue.
HIBTB are not a subtle band. They lay on their intentions pretty thick, but if you're in the market for what they're selling you're not gonna find a better deal anywhere else.
Rating:
(8/10)
How I Became the Bomb celebrate the release of Deadly Art tomorrow night at Mercy Lounge with Kyle Andrews & The Zut Alors.
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