Finally, an alt-country/indie rock band that I like almost as much as the Felice Brothers. Why, New Albany, Indiana’s Houndmouth even sounds like the Felice Brothers at times; guitarist/vocalist Matt Myers does a passing imitation of Ian Felice, right down to his phrasing, and Houndmouth shares the Felice Brothers’ country noir inclinations. That said, their sound has more pure pop in it, as they demonstrate on their second LP, 2015’s Little Neon Limelight.
On the pop front, for instance, the greased and groovy “Honey Slider” bears distinct echoes of the Wallflowers’ “6th Avenue Heartache,” the beautiful “Sedona” sends me, and “Say It” is a rollicking rocker that is totally irresistible. And the raucous “My Cousin Greg” has a more than passing resemblance to The Righteous Brothers’ immortal 1974 hit, “Rock and Roll Heaven,” as well as echoes of the Felice Brothers.
Formed in 2011, the band consisted, at the time Little Neon Limelight was recorded, of Myers, Zak Appleby on bass, Shane Cody on drums and vocals, and Katie Toupin on vocals (Toupin left the band to “pursue other musical interests” in 2016). Toupin’s loss is inestimable; her slow but luscious take on “Gasoline” (“Gasoline/It don’t burn as fast as me”) is killer, as are her shared vocal duties on “Otis,” “Honey Slider,” “My Cousin Greg,” and I could go on.
As for the Felice Brothers connection, I hear Ian and Company in “Black Gold,” both in the musical and lyrical departments; “I used to see her sister/Her name was Jenny Gasoline/I used to see her picture/On the cover of a dirty magazine” are Felice Brothers lyrics if I’ve ever heard them. The slow and beautiful “For No One” is another tune that could pass for a Felice Brothers number, and the same goes, to a slightly lesser extent, for “My Cousin Greg,” which boasts the wonderful chorus, “If you want to live the good life/You’d better stay away from the limelight.”
But enough with the Felice Brothers comparisons. Houndmouth is anything but derivative, and Little Neon Limelight is one excellent LP. It contains only one track I’m not totally enamored of, namely LP closer “Darlin’,” a slow blues and R&B number that isn’t anything special. But the ten good tunes are great tunes.
“Say It” is a retro ’60s pop song that bops along and is guaranteed to have you dancing Shindig style, while “Sedona” has a windy desert feel to it, and boasts the wonderful chorus, “Well hey little Hollywood/You’re gone but you’re not forgot/You got the cash but your credit’s no good/You flipped the script/And shot the plot/And I remember I remember/When your neon used to burn so bright and pink/Saturday night kinda pink.”
“Black Gold” boasts a big opening and a great chorus, while “Honey Slider” is, Jakob Dylan and Felice Brothers echoes aside, a funky slice of mid-tempo rock. “15 Years” harkens back to ’50s rock’n’roll, tosses in a “Wooo!” here and there, and features a wonderful breakdown in the middle, in which everybody screams and shouts while Myers plays some frantic guitar. “For No One” competes with “Say It” for top honors on the album, although single “Sedona” is also in the running.
“Gasoline” is slow and incredibly lovely, especially when Toupin sings, “Maybe I’ll meet my maker on the bedroom floor.” As for “By God,” it features a big Neil Young guitar and rolls right over you, especially with all those vocalists throwing in. And on “My Cousin Greg” all three vocalists take a verse, just like the Band used to do, and it gives you the idea Myers doesn’t like his cousin all that much.
Little Neon Limelight and the band’s performance at SXSW (as captured on 2015’s Spotify Sessions) both demonstrate that Houndmouth has a great future ahead of them, Toupin or no Toupin. One observation: on the Spotify Sessions the band (and especially Myers on guitar) really cut loose, and I would like to hear more of that on future LPs. Just check out Myers’ guitar work on “Honey Slider” on the Spotify Sessions if you don’t believe me. I mean, why not let ‘er rip? The band has the chops, and as excellent as Little Neon Limelight is, it could only be improved by a touch of added ferocity.
But that’s just me. Pick up Little Neon Limelight and marvel. I’m happy to report I have a new band to scan the rock schedules for, to make sure I catch them when they come to town. They sing it like they mean it, and both the lyrics and the melodies hit home, and you could do much worse than give Houndmouth a listen. They don’t just make music, they glory in it, and all I can say is hallelujah.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
