Rose Blossom Punch

Item: Ephemere
Author: Josh Spencer

Ephemere

(1997)

Reviewed by Josh Spencer

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Label SaraBellum RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1997

alternative rock indie rock power pop

Just a sip of this Rose Blossom Punch, and you'll be intoxicated. The first track will come warmly into your world with a super flanged-out fuzz of a guitar tone, spacey percussion and sorrowful piano in the background, and then send you reeling back from your stereo as waves of pure alterno-distortion and simultaneous acoustic strumming washes over your ears. Already, you'll know this band's got more kick than Poor Old Lu ever cared to put out.

And as much as the band probably wants to be judged for themselves, and not in comparison to Poor Old Lu, there's just no getting around it. For those who don't know, Aaron Sprinkle and Nick Barber of the late great Lu are also one half of the Punch (Aaron also involved in the expert production). Nick still plays bass (well) and sings background vocals, while Aaron adds lead vocals to his signature guitar-playing. That's right--through all the extra layers of amplified distortion I still taste the strumming style of Poor Old Lu. Although most of the trippiness and genuine "alternativeness" of Lu's guitars has been drained away to allow a fully forward-moving power pop flavor to emerge, Aaron is still Aaron and any longtime fan should be able to tell who has six-string duty here. Also, many of the song dynamics are the same--the pacing, pauses, interplay between guitar parts and drums, etc.--especially in reference to Sin or Picture of the 8th Wonder.

I actually prefer Aaron's slightly richer vocals to Scott Hunter's more ethereal tones (I've wished he'd take over ever since that song he did on Sin). To me, Aaron either sounds like he's been sucking down some helium, or he sounds like Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) without the nasal tone. Either way, his style is still all his, and it's cool. New drummer Paul Mumaw definitely holds his own, but in keeping with Rose Blossom Punch's pop direction he plays with less style than Jesse Sprinkle did and sticks to more straight-ahead rhythm keeping. Also, many of the songs have programmed drum loops by one Aaron Mlasko (but I didn't really notice). Nick's bass-playing is pretty much the same; he alternates between just keeping a straight rhythm and wandering through those wonderful scales.

Poor Old Lu was always obscurely poetic when it came to lyrics, and Rose Blossom Punch continues in that tradition. Unfortunately, I've never understood poetry much, and I couldn't decipher Aaron's lyrics. I could tell, however, that they were brewed from definite personal experiences. Also, it was really cool of him to provide a quote by a famous historical figure for each song, having to do with each song's meaning. Here's a sample quote and lyrics from "Cyclone Fence," the only song I think I understood partly:

From the body of one guilty deed
A thousand ghostly fears and haunting thoughts proceed.
--William Wordsworth

she, she said to me remember when the sunshine left us clean
oh, she wants to know do you remember letting go
we let the hour come steal away the light...
oh woe am I
come wash away my sin and let me open this door against the wind

I think this song is about sexual sin, but only Aaron could say for sure (his e-mail is in the jacket). The other songs pretty much lost me, but here are a couple more quotes to pique your interest.

For "Windswept" :

Surely half the world must be blind;
they can see nothing unless it glitters.

--August and Julius Hare

And for "A Step into the Dark":

The steps of faith fall on the seeming void, but find the rock beneath.
--John G. Whittier

Standouts for me would be "Haunted Church"--accented by exploratory bass and a groovy solo (remember the 70s?), "Windswept"--by far the strongest sing-along pop tune, "Beauty"--an atmospheric and acoustic-driven tune with female background vocals, "Fall to Place"--with its eerie intro and overall songcraft, "First Time in Vermont"--switching it up with Nick on lead vocals and guitars and Aaron on Rhodes. Actually, I could do this for every song on the album: the whole thing's a standout. As a die-hard Poor Old Lu fan, I thought Rose Blossom Punch might be a little hard to swallow. Yet after a few sips, I forgot all about my reservations. This still might not make the party for everyone, but if I liked the flavor, I know it'll do the trick for some of you too.

Now if you'll excuse me while I go get a refill....

4 tocks