Blenderhead 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 Blenderhead record is no exception.
Blenderhead is fronted by Bill Power, whose "day job" is A&R director of -- you guessed it -- Tooth & Nail Records. Power's singing voice is stronger than most bands in the math rock/indie rock genre, and at times serves as a stark contrast to the jagged guitars backing him. He's not above screaming, however, a point to which "Theology and Algebra" and "You Know Who You Are" testify.
Power's lyrics remind me of umpteen punk bands from my high school--they're ultra-simplistic and based on real-life situations. The album-opening "I Gave Her My Heart, She Gave Me a Pen" finds Power wailing "I didn't steal your car, but I wish I had" and on "Emerald City Indie Queen" he is positively caustic, giving scenesters a much-needed kick in the pants. Elsewhere, on "Transatlantic Solo Flight," his words are drenched in self-pity toward a bitter friend.
I get the feeling, though, that the lyrics aren't what's important here. Rather, as on most math-rock albums, the attention is given to the discordant guitars and the insane drums, very rarely operating in standard rock and roll 4/4 time. In that respect, guitarists Ed Carrington and Tyler Vanderploeg and drummer Matt Johnson are as good as any in the business.
Blenderhead fans know who they are, and will certainly rush to pick up this new album, but the band also has an opportunity to pick up new fans. Will they succeed? I'm not sure. Figureheads on the Forefront of Pop Culture is about as far from radio-friendly as a person can get, and with much of the rest of Tooth & Nail Records moving in that direction, Blenderhead may be the black sheep in the family.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Brett MiottiFigureheads 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…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…Similar sounding releases
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