Frederick Foxtrott

Pela
Anytown Graffiti
Great Society/World’s Fair
April 24th 2007

Waiting on the Stairs, the first track off Pela’s Anytown Graffiti, casts a sonic enchantment over the ears of all who hear. The music orients and disorients the listener as they desperately follow the slurred inaudible words of Bill McCarthy. This track invokes a pleasing mood, yet it unsettles the heart with quiet frustration. The staccato guitars, driving fuzz bass, and popping snare create and ethereal space in which the vocals are free to plead with frantic conviction. “I Said Come! Sit next to me! Cause I am Not Your Enemy! I said Come! Admit it to me! I Have Become your Enemy!” Since I came across this record, there has rarely been a day that I haven’t found myself repeating this infectious tune in my head and aloud, only to return home to listen to it as it was recorded. Waiting on the Stairs, along with Cavalry and Song Writes Itself, represent an album fraught with artistic creativity and emotional purpose.

Pela has previously released two EPs, one on Brassland Records called All in Time in 2005, and another called Exit Columbia Street self-released on iTunes in 2006. Their Brassland release underscores their relationship with fellow Brooklyn based outfit The National who has recently released their own successful album Boxer. Brassland is a label founded by twin brothers Bryce and Aaron Dressner, both of whom play guitar for The National. The relationship comes as a nice surprise to me as I find both bands to be exceptional.

Pela’s move to Great Society was accompanied by the release of Anytown Graffiti, a lyrically potent record with distressed narratives and heartfelt melodies. The rhythms offered have a very consistent feel, almost bordering on repetitive, each song receiving a similar beat. However, this similarity does not create a sense of redundancy or boredom, rather it glues each song to the next, fortifying the record’s sense of internal relatedness. Like a book with chapters, Anytown Graffiti is an album thick with narrative, each song having a conceptual bond; even when you can’t make out exactly what is being said.

Pela plays The Bowery Ballroom for the CMJ Music Festival on October 18th. There is a great danger that this show will sell out fast so be sure to purchase tickets promptly. The fever with which people seem to attend shows tells me that Pela’s CMJ appearance should be phenomenal. Pela is not up-and-coming; they are up-and-here. It has been a pleasure getting to know their music.

7/9

http://www.pelamusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/pela

Other Albums
All in Time Brassland 2005
Exit Columbia Street Self-released 2006

Show Alert
CMJ Music Festival, October 18th 2007. The Bowery Ballroom