We're just a couple white boys singing the blues.
Such is the thesis offered by Phyllis Styles on the second track of their self-titled EP.
I can find several faults with the assertion. Primarily, Phyllis Styles doesn't play the blues. What they play is an eclectic mixture of jazzy-pop, smooth suburban hip-hop, and edgy rock numbers. More importantly, what they do play deserves far more heralding than they give themselves in the above statement.
To put it more bluntly, not since Beta debuted at Phantasmagoria have I been this impressed by a band this young.
Phyllis Styles, named for the F. Scott Fitzgerald character, is a quartet of gifted musicians who spend their non-music hours scattered across the Maryland suburbs in colleges and other pursuits. As often as possible, they gather in bassist Jason Letkiewicz' basement to create their "blues."
The strength of this band, and what makes them such a joy to listen to, is that there is no weak link amongst the four of them. Each instrument would be entertaining by itself, even without the other three musicians parts.
The songs are secured on a solid rhythmic foundation provided by drummer Kyle Rudder. His style is right in front of the beat, almost over the crest which drives most of the songs into somersaults. Bassist Jason Letkiewicz' melodic solo-ing bass lines and guitarist Kevin Lee's jazzy guitar riffs provide endless ear-candy atop this.
But the focus of the band and the music is clearly on vocalist Jamie Maloney. His versatile vocal performance varies from a sleepy Donovan to Jim Morrison to Billy Joe Armstrong to Timothy Booth. His smooth, sly approach to lyrical writing and delivery are what elevate Phyllis Styles' songs from simply competent and enjoyable to truly inspired.
Occasionally, Maloney will betray his age with a proliferation of drug and alcohol related lyrics. But they are infused with a certain ambiguous tounge-in-cheek, laugh-at-the-bard-in-the-mirror approach.
In Hey Man, Maloney preaches, "sunken cheeks, white sheets, meth treats, no eats, corner mourners with a back row seat to see their lives rolling before them, they're not addicts the world just bores them, And don't cry just clap along." In all his drug references it's never certain whether he is celebrating drug culture, lamenting drug culture, or offering an alternative to it.
Despite the ambiguous drug message, there is an innocent Carpe Diem undertone to the entire EP. Some woman, some band, or some friend is always going to be there to make life worth living. In the jazzy psychedelica of Crawl Walk Run, Maloney offers "hey hey, hum the ditty, come dance in the fancy moonlight, sing with me 'til the guitar stops, turn me on with your paramount smile."
It is this enthusiasm and optimism that rises out of the music and into our lives which makes Phyllis Styles worth a listen. Many bands write catchy tunes. Phyllis Styles creates catchy vibes.
A more appropriate characterization of the band than "just a couple of white boys singing the blues," would be the final verse of Everybody.
Everybody get together
Throw away your guns and money
Take each other's hands
See the world as one
We're brothers through our own existence
Recognize this blessed gift
Before it gets too late
To cry for the world.
|