December 6, 2007
Thursday Dig: Grammar Debate!
Created By: Joshua Valocchi
Posted: Dec 06, 2007 2:25 PM
Updated: Dec 06, 2007 2:51 PM
Local power pop purveyors Grammar Debate! (GD!) cart their jangly indie rock sensibilities out to Fairmount Thursday night as part of a four-band blowout at the North Star Bar.
Thurs., Dec. 6, 7 p.m. $10. All ages. With Kaufmann, John Ralston + Modern Skirts.
North Star Bar, 27th and Poplar streets. 215.787.0488.
Locals in the truest sense – all six GD! members call Philly home, with three hanging their hats in Fishtown – the band find themselves enjoying the afterglow resonating from the success of their first full-length, Cheetah vs. Helicopter (Surreal), released this past spring. Joining Fishtown’s favorite sons (and daughters) on tonight’s bill are the Athens, Ga. based Modern Skirts; Vagrant Records’ newest find, John Ralston; and the dreamily aggressive Kaufman.
Although GD! find themselves filling the early slot, their combination of Crackeresque lo-fi twang and blatant odes to the perfect pop that peppered early Psychedelic Furs offerings promises to get the party started right.
In fact, it’s not much of a stretch to presume that regardless of what comes after GD!’s opening set, the crowd leaving the North Star in the wee hours of Friday morning will exit the bar humming tunes from Cheetah vs. Helicopter, even going so far as to subconsciously employ said tunes as synthetic lullabies as they drift off into the ether.
Just two years into their tenure as Philly popsters, GD! seem to have already mastered the art of implanting a tune in listeners’ heads with near-surgical precision and flicking the soft-repeat setting before stealing away, leaving nary a trace of their initial presence. They manage their signature brand of sonic sorcery through the employment of several age-old but delicate techniques. Most impressive is the manner in which band members strike the perfect balance between male and female vocals in intricate harmony.
The beauty of GD!’s vocal patterns, however, lies not in their complexity, but rather in their deceptive simplicity. To hear keyboardist/violinist Carolynne McNeel’s angelic voice entwine itself with frontman Joe Lekkas’ lyrics, one would be hard-pressed to imagine the vocal tracking requiring more than one or two takes. Much like Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, though, GD! clearly spend more than a little time and effort on crafting heavenly harmonics.
Interestingly enough, the kids in GD! aren’t satisfied with achieving virtual pop perfection and leaving matters well enough alone. Even as they prepare for this evening’s performance, the band members are hard at work on their second release, Broken Heart Deluxe, tentatively slated for a spring ’08 release. According to Lekkas, the follow up to Cheetah vs. Helicopter isn’t apt to foster any tendencies of pigeonholing GD! into a niche market.
“It will be a departure from our Guided by Voices-meets-Death Cab for Cutie guitar based indie pop,” says Lekkas of the new album. “It will be much more mellow, orchestral and chamber poppy … lots of keys, cello, horns and acoustic guitars with our trademark vocal harmonies.”
In the final analysis, Lekkas describes the overall tone of the new GD! songs as “much more downbeat and introspective.”
Armed with that little nugget of info, head out to the Art Museum Area and show a little love tonight. Given the absurdly catchy nature of the Cheetah vs. Helicopter material, you’re unlikely to quickly forget about these guys. The fact that a few new songs are already in the can nearly guarantees a sneak peek (or listen, presumably) of the new album. If that’s still not enough to warrant braving the cold night air, rest assured – their take on the Velvet Underground classic, “Stephanie Says” is simply divine.
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