Obits – Moody, Standard and Poor
Sub Pop: 2011
The new Obits album, Moody, Standard and Poor, is begging to be played by rebellious youth and disgruntled suit-and-tied individuals alike. It’s an indie garage rock album backed by years of experience. It’s a subtle message through 100w amplifiers.
It may not be so obvious, but this album would like you to quit your day job and live moody, standard and poor. Because if you’re going to be poor and you don’t own anything, you might as well own yourself. With tracks like “I Want Results”, “Shift Operator” and “Standards”, Obits lays out your life, exhibit A through Z, and the evidence doesn’t look good.
Obits wield guitars, drums and bass. They’re a band, after all. They sound well practiced but appropriately famished—and as they should. All the members have been around the block, being post members of bands like Drive Like Jehu, Edsel, Hot Snakes, and Pitchfork. They can play their instruments without gadgets.
Moody, Standard and Poor is Obits’ second full-length album off the Sub Pop label. It’s a graduated sound that’s evolved from its surf rock precursor, I Blame You (2009). But that surf rock sound still remains on the tracks like “Spot the Pikey”. It’s reminiscent of a classic, distorted surf rock sound.
We don’t buy this album because it’s what we want to hear; we buy it because it’s what we need to hear.
[audio:http://potholesinmyblog.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/05-Shift-Operator.mp3|titles=Obits – Shift Operator]
4 out of 5