By
Phil Rainone
I guess the running joke in the Bill Owens
Five is, "Where's Bill?" Aside from
their publishing called "Who is Bill,"
there is no one named Bill in this five piece
rock band. Maybe it's a tip of the hat to
The Ben Folds Five, who are actually a trio.
Otherwise, the music on Foundry Street sticks
to the basics, and is highly focused on melodies
and lyrics.
On the opening cut "Should Be Sleeping,"
the band fleshes out a fresh serpentine arrangement
(almost five minutes long) that is anchored
by a solid rhythm section and some inventive
keyboards that work well with the acoustic/electric
guitars. Part funky blues, part modern rock,
there's little in the band's music that can
be pigeon-holed or deemed repetitive. A song
like "Garden State" is a narrative
that confronts their heritage head-on. They
share a communal feeling with Bruce Hornsby,
ending with a slow-building flourish of instruments.
These arrangements are not run-of-the-mill.
They're nicely balanced between intricate
and delicate. These songs express contemporary
fears and realities, leaving you wanting to
hear the next one, and the next one, and the
next.
Lead singer Joe Montague has a clear, unvarnished
voice with just a hint of irony at times.
The rest of Bill Owens Five - Jamie DiTringo-
guitars/vocal, Adam Weissman- keyboards, Steve
Brown- bass, and Brian Weinstein- drums -
create songs that are as tuneful as they are
intimate and genuine. There's always that
thin line between trying to be pure and being
tough. The music on Foundry Street is vibrant,
emotional, and musically smart; there's no
testing your patience. Bill Owens Five mostly
earn points the old-fashioned way (especially
on song's like "Beach in Ecuador,"
or "Yuppie Rock Star") by writing
likable songs you'll be glad to revisit next
month.
For much of the album, they keep things simple.
"Bring Me Down" is little more than
funky keyboards, tight rhythm section, slinky
guitar lines, and strong vocals over a caffeinated
groove. This is fun stuff that is well executed,
much like the rest of their songs. Bill Owens
Five sounds like the type of band that you'd
enjoy listening to on CD as much as seeing
their live show!
back to jerseybeat.com l back
to top
