[rating:4]
The Drums: Self Titled
Label: Downtown
Release Date: September 14, 2010
“If you like The Smiths, you’ll like The Drums.” – anonymous indie rock guy
It’s a crass assumption, but it’s one supported by The Smiths Rule Of Averages, which alleges, “If a band claims The Smiths as a major influence, the average Smiths fan will like said band. The Drums wear their Moz & Marr-worshipping hearts on their sleeves and on their debut self-titled LP (finally released stateside) lead singer Jonathan Pierce, guitar duo Jacob Graham and Adam Kessler, and Connor Hanwick on drums prove they have the moody-but-bright pop chops to set the hooks in deep without the added baggage of a bassist.
This is first and foremost beachwave though, so as long as clean guitars, 60’s surf drone, reverb, and So-Cal pop melodies still set you on fire, this won’t disappoint. It’s weird, really. For such a hugely hyped band from Brooklyn loved all over the EU, you half expect (by default) to like this much less, but the album is surprisingly solid. The majority of the LP doesn’t sound like 2009 ‘s “Let’s Go Surfing” (included on the U.S. release) and as huggable as that single was, these latest offerings are musically as downright friggin’ adorable as a LOLcat in a fixie basket. Much of this is owed to Jonathan Pierce’s earnestness to love and his equally easy to love sugar-rimmed delivery.
Yearning to know why? or why not? (“It Will All End In Tears”) and trying to make sense of love and life (“Skippin’ Town,” “We Tried”), Jonathan seems genuine enough as a romantic. He sings like the lovelorn crooner he adores and though Pierce ‘s lyrics may be a scant less profound (or dark, or funny) as Morrissey’s, that’s a level no one has any business attempting to reach anyway. Still, a big chink in the armor, “I Need Fun In My Life” contains such a cringe-inducing impression of the Wilde Child and so much dead space, it’s hard to believe this song made the final cut for album inclusion.
Forgiving, forgetting and focusing on the good stuff, “It Will All End In Tears,” “Forever And Ever Amen,” and the very excellent “Book Of Stories” all achieve indie pop perfection. With relatable lyrics that are easy to sing along to (“I thought that my life would get easier / Instead it’s getting harder.”) and big, bright beats easy to dance to (all other 11 tracks), The Drums for the most part is a promising debut LP from this still very new band.
If legions of blog readers feel cheated at all, it’s only because, like every other rushed-to-record indie “it” band they’ve encountered, the gargantuan hype always hinders more than helps. In the end, it all comes down to believing. Do you believe him when he tells you he loves you?
“And all the stars in the sky
And all the flowers in the fields
And all the power in the earth
Could never take you from my heart”
- “Forever And Ever Amen”
-Casey Bowers
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