Artist.......: Mittens
Album........: Mittens
Label........: Man with a gun
Genre........: Indie
Catnr........: n/a
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Aug-18-2006
str.date.....: 2k4
quality......: VBR/44.1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: n/a
track title time
01. skip it all 02:52
02. watcha think about that 02:45
03. belinda 02:23
04. a lot like you 03:14
05. let's make the neighbors want to call 02:47
06. i'm just sayin' 02:18
07. ringin' a bell 02:27
08. she forgot her umbrella 02:15
09. aches and pains 02:53
10. tie me over 01:58
11. big decisions 03:40
12. reinforce me 02:33
13. how do you love me 03:27
Runtime 35:32 min
Size 52,6 MB
Release Notes:
Who thought Phoenix was a crucible of comedic rock?
Arizona is where two-thirds of Mittens -- Andy
Brooks and Tom Novotny -- grew up before Brooks
came out to attend Boston University, then lured
his friend here as well.
They're the singers and songwriters in Mittens,
whose obliquely funny pop tunes evoke comparisons
to laughmeisters Jonathan Richman and Barenaked
Ladies.
"Yeah, we're light and playful," Brooks (left) says
with a laugh, before adding this Seinfeld-like
observation: "It's easier to be deep if you're not
being so deep."
Together with drummer Nick Buni, they've fashioned
a self-titled CD that features some of the deftest
humor one might hear on the normally super-earnest
stages around town.
The album starts with the acoustic rock of "Skip It
All," with the verse "Tonight I'm going to skip it
all . . . I'm going to run a relay, to hell with
the leeway." Then comes "Whatcha Think About That"
(key line: "Got to make up ground but I don't know
how to move") and the winsome "Let's Make the
Neighbors Want to Call" and "She Forgot Her
Umbrella," a true story about a woman who forgets
her umbrella in Brooks's apartment, creating a
romantic opportunity for its return: "Everything
will be better when I bring it over."
The album includes everything from trumpet to banjo
backup (it was produced by lovable gadfly Pete
Weiss) and represents a clever, calming shot of
comic relief. "We've always been into music," says
Brooks. "But when we've had articles written about
us, we are amazed at how much people think we know
about music. We have a good sense of things, but
we're not as well informed as people think we are!"
LENGTH OF TIME PLAYING TOGETHER: Three years.
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Jonathan Richman, Nick Lowe,
Violent Femmes, the Beatles. WHO THEY THINK THEY
SOUND LIKE: "Someone once said that we sounded like
a skiffle (jug band-style) Talking Heads -- and
that made sense, though the Talking Heads were a
much better band than we are," says Brooks. THEY'LL
KNOW THEY'VE MADE IT WHEN: "Just receiving some
attention for what we're doing, even if it's just a
kid's fanzine." QUIRKY FACT ABOUT THE BAND: "Tom
and I switch off on bass, but he plays right-handed
and I play lefty, so we have to bring two basses to
each show." /boston.com