 Happiness
"Must Have Fun" CDR
KEEP
Recordings
Genres: indie pop, folk-rock
KEEP Recordings
PO Box 18972
Tucson AZ 85731
Mar 14 - 20 2005 |
Must Have Fun has a lot in common with The Eels and Sparklehorse
in terms of melodic lushness, but it also boasts a loose relaxedness that is completely
devoid of tension. Happiness plays folk-pop with equal parts folk and
pop, though there's also an obsession with electronic
hip-hop-style beats and frequent background fiddling here. The
melodies are a strongpoint, and their joyful delivery works
wonderfully.
The press release lists Jonathan Richman and early Beck
as points of comparison, but I still can't shake the Eels
connection. "Sports Facility Vehicle" and "The
Springs on my Roommate's Bed" particularly exemplify this.
Some of the more country-based, fiddle-heavy tunes stray from the Eels
style, but there's a basic similarity there. Ultimately, I can't
imagine myself listening to this until the end of time; however, for a
solid folk/fiddle/pop record, you can't go wrong.
82%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
13 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
