Immediately I’m struck with this innate sense of pop melody genius. Fun with a capital F. Music that’s fun to hear because we know you had fun making it. This sound captures an uncanny knack of sensing the pulse of what pop should be.
Because ‘pop’ is a bad word to lots of my old cronies. The word brings up bad memories of Cindi Lauper and other unmentionable losers. But the genre is really supposed to mean, and has often been, something easy to consume, simple pleasures, guilty pleasures that can make you feel good, an upbeat energy, heavy on the 2,4 snare beats, with catchy lines and memorable hooks.
Now some of us have even drawn the line and said that real rockers are not supposed to like this stuff. I can’t help it, I love it. The only I found myself wishing for was some sustained vocal melodies, like whole notes, on top of chords that moved by quickly. I think that because the only element that gets repetitive throughout the set is that everything is pretty strictly based on 4. 4 lines, 4 beats, 4 chords, after hearing lots of the tunes, I was hoping for a song to break the count up a bit more. But still, I can’t help but love it and I don’t mean to overstate the criticism.
Amazing sense of humor throughout, 12 S***y Days is brilliant. A parody of the famous carol, the lyrics span a lifetime and reflect 100x more than any scrooge has ever had to tell us.
This is one where the wacky color scheme and the odd pictures on the home page make perfect sense. The music is a different and unique pop blend of humor and weirdness.
Lilsis… OK man I’m going to guess it’s a plastic blowup doll… do I get the free download?
The songwriting is really strong throughout the songlist. Comments and punchlines are all scattered throughout the verses, the chorus always punches through with striking clarity and identity. Check out He Stole My Girl for a fantastic example of simple musical ideas mixed up and carved into a brilliant little tune.
The thing I like best about the lineup is the wide variety within the genre. I mean all the songs make sense together as an album and this theme of fast clever lyrics, quick beats, brilliant melodies and startling choruses make the sound unified and complete. Within the parameters we know what to expect even though there’s a surprise at every turn. But there’s big difference between the tunes; each is distinct. A good mixup of beats, rhythms, and deliveries even though they all fit together as ‘pop’ music in a very unique style with a personal stamp on each one as individual as a fingerprint.
This strikes me as one of these musicians who never stops. Churning out ideas and editorials all over the place but never delving into the dark side, never getting too philosophical to be boring or redundant. Still the words may make you laugh while you have something to think about. Nicely combined, satire without the brimstone, sarcasm without the abrasion, the way the lyrics maintain this tone of poking fun at us, them, himself.
OK thoroughly enjoyed the little trip through this guy’s musical world, purchased a few downloads and signed on as a fan, glad to meet ya Howard, Billington!
- The Schwa Sound
Howard Billington home page - contact: howardbillington@howardbillington.com
