Take a minute to appreciate fun. When was the last time you had fun? If you answered "Listening to Algernon Cadwallader," then you and I have that in common. If that was not your answer, it soon will be. This Philly emo band gets weighted with lots of comparisons that aren't entirely fair, mostly because comparisons are for lazy writers and it does nothing to describe how the music sounds. Cap'n Jazz is mentioned in the same breath as Algernon in almost every review, and while there is similarity (vocal phrasing and that certain mathy guitar note style some have come to refer to as "twinkly), they stand on their own three instruments. If they are stylistically similar to the Schmap'n Schmazz, their tone is almost entirely different. Where Cap'n Jazz would write about youth and emotional vulnerability from an almost opaquely personal standpoint, Algernon's songs take a playfully narrative approach that is more optimistic than introspective. The narrative nature of their songs often prevents choruses, though they do have melodic motifs that warrant shouting along almost every time. One of their best assets is that they can write emotional lyrics with a sense of humor. And sometimes they just want you to know what they think about frog spit. They're for it!
Order their new 7", Fun, from Be Happy Records. It includes a coloring book.
Look Down (Because the Ground Is Easier to Understand and Doesn't Take So Much Work to Figure Out But I'd Rather Not Know Where I'm Standing and Have An Idea of What Life Is All About)
Spit Fountain
