In spite of their name — or possibly, largely because of it — Nashvillians Diarrhea Planet have gotten a lot of attention lately. They've opened for and made fans of fellow punk outfits Titus Andronicus and Fucked Up, and on a recent trip to Russia, Fred Durst and Wes Borland of noted nu-metal clown crew Limp Bizkit were pictured holding a copy of DP's 2011 debut full-length Loose Jewels.
"I thought it was hilarious," says Diarrhea Planet frontman and principal songwriter Jordan Smith. "Some people would be like, 'Oh, that's totally lame,' but I thought it was the coolest."
In case it wasn't immediately apparent, that's kind of Diarrhea Planet's way — a perpetually mirthful, easygoing sort of agreeableness. Anyway, they certainly aren't the first punk band to pick a crass, high-shock-factor, low-maturity-level name and stick with it — they're probably somewhere between Butthole Surfers and the aforementioned Fucked Up on the "honestly not that bad" end of the Offensive Band Name Spectrum. (Bands landing at the other end have names that rhyme with things like "Brainal Runt.")
"As a band, we just kind of started making stuff up," Smith says about how they explain the Diarrhea Planet name to newcomers. The real explanation, as Smith tells it, is that the band of former Belmont students wanted a name that would punkishly annoy Belmont and Nashville in general. But where's the fun in that explanation?
"Now we're doing stuff like, 'Oh yeah, we had a coin toss with the band Wavves and whoever lost had to name their band Diarrhea Planet, and we lost.' ... [Guitarist Evan Bird] told a guy a couple of days ago that we were at an Aerosmith concert or something ... and Joe Perry was like, 'You should call your band that.' "
But the thing is, Diarrhea Planet's forthcoming I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams — out Tuesday, Aug. 20, via JEFF the Brotherhood's homegrown indie Infinity Cat Records — is earnest. It's not ironic or, as much of DP's earliest material was, full of obscure dirty jokes or references to partying. Sure, it features the Planet's now-trademark, intentionally grandiose quadruple-guitar attack and fleet-fingered soloing, but thematically, it's made up of thoughtful, sharp anthems and mega-ballads like "Kids" — a song that faces growing up in notably sincere fashion.
"Most of the party lyrics before, it wasn't even actually me being like, 'Party hard' or whatever," explains Smith. "It was more like bitter satire, making fun of people who live like that, but it was always interpreted in that we're like that. So with this record, it felt like I had hidden a lot behind humor and stuff, and that I needed to start taking more risks and being more honest."
Diarrhea Planet recorded I'm Rich at Kevin McMahon's Marcata Recording in upstate New York, where albums by The Walkmen, Swans and DP pals Titus Andronicus had previously been made. And like any punk record worth its salt, it's urgent and aggressive and of course features hints of Descendents and Wire (mainly Descendents) here and there, not to mention hints of late-'90s and early-Aughts pop-punk outfits like, say, Blink-182 and New Found Glory. But beneath the hammering, palm-muting and finger-tapping, you'll find a core of motivated, heartfelt longing — the sort of longing you'll find at the core of classic rock.
Nostalgia's the thing here. The Planeteers have been known to cover Springsteen and the Jurassic Park theme song, and their guitarmonic splendor occasionally calls to mind Thin Lizzy. What's more, the end of "Babyhead" is a none-too-subtle reference to The Who's "Baba O'Riley." As Smith tells it, though, it's less about replicating any particular style and more about re-creating the feeling your favorite song gave you as a kid.
"Instead of necessarily always copying a sound, it can be a lot more about figuring out what made those songs feel so good to you when you listen to them, and why they made you feel a specific way, and kind of figuring out how to write a song that makes you feel the way those songs made you feel."
So, in a word, good. Diarrhea Planet wants to make you feel good, and that's probably more than you can say for Limp Bizkit.
Email music@nashvillescene.com.
