Figureheads On The Forefront Of Pop Culture combines elements of Blenderhead's previous releases, yet has its own identity in many ways. The guitar tones are more ear pleasing on this record and accomplish some interesting interplay between them. The first track, "I Gave Her My Heart She Gave Me A Pen," kicks off the disc with Bill Power reflecting on failed relationship. The song seems to keep building until finally the climax of the song comes as the guitars intensify and Mr. Power screams, "I'll never love you again. It's just as well. I didn't steal your car. But I wish I had." This makes for one the most memorable moments of the album.
Blenderhead's lyrics continue to be one of the best things going for this band. However, on Figureheads... the lyrics are a lot more personal than the lyrics found on previous releases from this Seattle quartet. For example, in "You Know Who You Are," Power sings, "You made a list of what you wanted from the house. There was no way around. You had it all planned out. Murdered promises and broken vows that will not mend. The silence you confessed brought eight years to the end." The lyrics on this album also feature plenty of movie references from films such as "Say Anything" and "Run Lola, Run."
The band recorded this album with producer Kip Beelman, who has worked with such acts as Desoto Record's bands Juno and Unwound. The tones captured on this record are great and fit the music well. Along with being a decent vocalist, Bill Power proves to be a noteworthy force on bass. New addition Tyler Van Ploeg fills in the second guitar position nicely.
Other standout tracks on this album include "Emerald City Indie Queen," with its tough choppy riffing during the verses, and "Monotone," an instrumental number with some Jawbox flavor to boot. My only complaint about this record is some of the slightly off key vocals found in a few songs. Still, there is something to be said for Power's quirky vocal delivery and the passion he puts into these performances. Some listeners may find Matt Johnson's drumming to be tame compared to other projects he's worked on. However, the drumming on Figureheads... compliments the songs well. Over all, Figureheads... is a more "mature" record than Blenderhead's previous offerings. While bringing in the best elements of their previous releases, the band manages to craft better songs with more memorable hooks. If you are a fan of bands such as Jawbox, No Knife, Fugazi or the Dismemberment Plan be sure to pick up this gem from the "Blenderheads."
B+
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2001Reviewed by Marco PovervestFinally Blenderhead has a new album out. Figureheads On The Forefront Of Popculture contains twelve punkpop songs with the fragile yelling sound of Bill Power. The music is not that high-energy, full speed ahead type-of punk you can hear from so many other bands. What you rather hear is indie punk rock with nice sound textures like in the song Versatile Solutions For Modern Living. There's some…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerBlenderhead is a remnant from the so-called "glory days" of Tooth & Nail Records--those pre-Swing Praise years when you could count on any album released by the label to be of high quality. Without turning this review into a wistful nostalgia piece, I will say that those days are long gone. Fortunately for tasteful listeners everywhere, T&N still releases a lot of great records, and the new…Similar sounding releases
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