REVIEW: Tsunami, A Brilliant Mistake (Simple Machines)
- Robin Lapid
Apart from being impressed by the finely-crafted cd booklet accompanying this release (it has layers of translucent paper, emphasizing the layers of words and lyrics - nice touch), I'm already impressed by Tsunami's fierce DIY ethic. In the space of 3 full-length albums and a plethora of 7" singles (including collaborations with bands like Velocity Girl and Superchunk), guitarists/vocalists Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson created their own label and offered a booklet for budding indie purists on how to release records. And then there's the music. Smoky riffs layered under subtly resonant vocals against all your best indie-pop dreams, A Brilliant Mistake is music to stop and *really* listen to.
The album, like the band, is all about layers. There's the moody, sparse guitar arragements, the heartfelt vocals, and the words, which are at once incisive and melting, sung with a stinging sincerity. Toomey blends melodies with barbs, decrying the corporate rock lifestyle; "I've seen the best minds of my generation drowning in the best designer medications, perfecting a dedication to their lazy fix...There ain't enough coin in the coffer to ever make it legit." The pop hooks may deceive you, but listen to the tongue-twisting lyrics and you'll realize that this D.C. band is punker than punk. In an interview, Toomey defines punk as "just shorthand for a work ethic mixed with questioning authority." Credit this to the band that successfully lobbied for a booth to sell independent records when they were invited to play second stage at Lollapalooza.
The opening track, "Old Grey Mare," sets the tone both in mood and music. Toomey's soft but sure-footed voice builds toward Tsunami's lyrical manifesto: "I won't be formed to the readymade or matched to the cut of the retrograde or led by the reins to a pony show or marketed coy with a blow-job m.o." The sound is a lyrical wail surfacing amongst a sea of moody, elemental pop. With Andrew Webster and Rob Christiansen on bass/trombone and Luther Gray on drums, Tsunami craft low-key, slightly experimental pop songs.
It's Toomey's voice that implores you to listen. Her vocals straddle the lines of deep but controlled musical philosphizing, often winding round choruses that cry out from pure devotion to the craft. Unlike the Alanis screech, Toomey's is the voice of reason blending into a music of simple authority.
