J RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS (Vagrant)

The members of J. Roddy Walston and the Business joke about sounding like “AC/DC fronted by Jerry Lee Lewis.” And while that comparison may be totally appropriate, when I hear new bands compared to iconic classic rockers I immediately assume that the band must be doing shtick. The most important thing you need to know about J. Roddy Walston and the Business: THIS BAND DOES NOT DO SHTICK.

At the core, this is a guitar rock album lead by a rabid piano-playing rocker. Almost without exception, their new self-titled release is full of great songs. They succeed where most of their peers fail by relegating style to a supporting role while the songs remain the star.

Noteworthy too is the fact that this sounds like a band playing in a room together. That is something I hear people talk a lot about but rarely do I hear a band pull it off. As it turns out, these guys pull it off because they can really play and sing. For starters, while other drummers are wrapping microphones in aluminum foil, squeezing their drums into bathrooms, and making their girlfriends swim in a tub full of baked beans and sand sharks, Roddy's drummer Steve Colmus knows the real trick to sounding like John Bonham: it's all about what you don't play. Colmus is a master of the heavy, well-placed kick drum often played with a half-time feel. His playing is the perfect foil to the chaos that happens up front. Guitar player Billy Gordon is no slouch either. His bluesy riffs are perfectly placed, driving the tunes at some points and taking a back seat to Roddy's piano at others. His guitar also sits pretty naked in the mix, requiring a perfect balance of technique and swagger to pull off.

Of course when it comes down to it, J. Roddy Walston is the ring leader of this circus. His raspy-but-pitch-perfect pipes deliver catchy melodies. The Jerry Lee Lewis comparisons start with the kind of piano playing featured on “Don't Break the Needle” but they don't end there. Like Lewis, Roddy sings like a man speaking in tongues. He is possessed by rock and roll.

Upon multiple listens, I discovered that it is easy to overlook the lyrics in all of the hoopla. It is rare to find a band that can pull off a party vibe while maintaining some depth and poetry in their lyrics. Don't get me wrong, they are not in Bob Dylan territory, and Roddy's lyrics are not going to start a revolution. However, there is a layer of introspection behind the good times that really does give the listener something to chew on. On the lyrical front, the standouts are the raucous musing on growing up called “Used to Did;” “Pigs & Pearls” which is full of clever one-liners; and my personal favorite, “Brave Man's Death” which explores father-son relations.

The bottom line is that J. Roddy Walston and the Business is an album that a Brooklyn hipster with ironic facial hair can put on while hanging out drinking irony-free cheap beer with his alcoholic Uncle at the family reunion in Missouri. It is one of the best records I have heard in years and their live show is even better. I highly recommend both. - Jeff Norstedt