[rating=9.00]
When any album is this instantly catchy and flowing, a quick double check is needed. The proprietor of said album? Bop English aka James Petralli, the frontman of the Austin based experimental rock band White Demin who is releasing his first solo record (which has been in the works for over a decade). The players? Petralli’s day band plus ex-Shearwater bassist Kevin Schneider and a host of others. Ok that all adds up, so the consensus? One of the most enjoyable sounding records to come out in some time; Constant Bop is gloriously adventurous pop rock.
Petralli includes loads of layered instrumentation, quirks and idiosyncrasies in every track that reveal themselves over multiple listens but from the first roll it is hard not to be hooked. The bouncing piano and tambourine shakes start “Dani’s Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control)” and lead into a big guitar/drum/fuzz-drenched chorus. The tune (and the whole album in general) seems warmly familiar yet engagingly unique; a perfect combo.
“Struck Matches” has an up tempo acoustic push with Petralli sounding like a slightly funkier M. Ward who is pitching a track to the Traveling WIlburys. “Tryin’” zips up its glittery jumpsuit and shimmies out with a funky 70’s vibe complete with saxophones and tempo shifts before the dance floor shifts to this century on “Fake Dog” as a spareness creeps via stark beats and clipped passages progressing into an overloaded finish.
The one possible downside is the ease with which Petralli’s lyrics roll out. Vocally things are almost a perfect match no matter what effect or style he experiments with but lyrically it can feel like he is using a rhyming dictionary to just push on through to the next sentence “Willy Spends An Evening” shows this clearly with the lines like “Tryin to stay in tune/while she plays bassoon”.
The one track that speaks directly and honestly is the more stripped down “The Hardest Way” describing relationship woes and overall the album’s tone, playing and pitch perfect production quell any lingering doubts. “Sentimental WIlderness” is the most polished number with deep bass before swelling into a large rising chorus, “Falling At Your Feet” starts as a CSNY folk ditty then morphs into much more via steel drums and a shuffle beat. “Long Distance Runner” closes the album by starting with a digital reggae feel and blowing up to anthemic status to end. Nothing about Constant Bop should be taken for granted and repeated listens will reward as it’s sound, charm and soul weasel into your ear and never let go; gloriously adventurous pop rock indeed.
