THE PARTIES

Can't Come Down

2008-12-23

Heavily influenced by such iconic 60's artists such as the Velvet Underground, the Kinks and the Beatles, comes the San Fransisco based The Parties. While the foursome released a six-song set of music as an EP in 2005, it wasn't until October of 2008 that they finalized and released this, their first full-length debut titled "Can't Come Down." Making use of the tambourine throughout and quite obviously influenced heavily by the 60's is one of the highlights of the album, the song "Yours and Mine." Another likable song is "Radio" - a track that utilizes the vocal talents of each of the band members in a medley of lead and background vocals. Probably the best song and the one most suitable for airplay is "Waterfall." While mostly subdued to this point, here The Parties begin to show their move into the 70's with strong guitars and a mostly psychedelic sound. Having said this, however, the biggest problem with this album isn't necessarily the individual songs but that they all have a similar enough sound to them, making them largely indistinguishable. One notable exception to this is the final song, "Much Better." Here, the pedal steel is used, creating a sound that really doesn't seem to fit and mostly feels forced. In the end, the lyrics are less than stellar and the melodies are unfortunately mostly unmemorable. The result, sadly, is an album that is largely forgettable. ~ Reviewed by Jeff Bouma

Quick Links:

• The Parties on Myspace