ARTIST: Baby Teeth
TITLE: The Simp
LABEL: Lujo Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 196kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 38m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-02-00
RIP DATE: 2006-11-27
Track List
----------
1. The Simp 4:20
2. Swim Team 3:10
3. The Birds Are Crying 4:31
4. Taste The Wine 3:12
5. Looking For A Road 2:35
6. God Girlfriend 5:01
7. Diaghalev Was Right 3:11
8. Prove It On The Stage 2:53
9. Intolerable 3:31
10. Wolves 6:08
Release Notes:
Since their 2004 formation, Baby Teeth have proven that bedroom pop and huge
hooks belong together. The band has been compared to a host of legendary pop
eccentrics: Todd Rundgren, Andy Pratt, Elvis Costello. And yet, itÆs Baby
TeethÆs unique appropriation of classic-rock icons that sets them apart from
other indie-pop acts. ôWeÆve never played with a band that sounded so much like
Queen,ö remarked the Fiery FurnacesÆ Eleanor Friedberger after an early show.
Even while sharing the stage with such indie-rock luminaries as the Fiery
Furnaces, Silver Jews, Pit er Pat and Man Man, Baby Teeth have remained true to
a singular vision: the intimacy of one lonely heart, shot through an arena-sized
cannon.
This spring, Baby Teeth releases its third disc, The Simp (Lujo). While the new
albumÆs lavish arrangements nod to the pop of the 60s and 70s, the lyrics are
direct and emotionally bare. Fittingly, songwriter Abraham Levitan is recording
under his own name for the first time, abandoning the pseudonym, Pearly Sweets,
that heÆd used since his teens. (HeÆd taken the moniker initially because he
thought it sounded ômore New Orleansö than his given name, and he was probably
right.) The album opens with the title track, a tale of a depressive,
introverted teenager trying in vain to connect through music: ôClaustrophobe
living in my room / I prayed that life would consume / My song / And push me
along.ö In vintage Baby Teeth fashion, the downer lyrics lean against a
relentlessly pounding, sing-along groove. The albumÆs centerpiece is the pocket
epic ôLooking for a Roadö, a wry take on the futility of listening to othersÆ
advice: ôThey say be energetic baby be yourself / But what they really mean is
fuck the pain away like everyone else / Selling what you got but it never
sells.ö ôThat song is so excellent,ö remarked Silver JewsÆ David Berman, ôI
canÆt believe it was written by a contemporary American.ö
In recording The Simp, Baby Teeth worked with an outside producer for the first
time. They chose avant-garde musician Blue Hawaii, a member of Bablicon, Need
New Body, and Icy Demons. The collaboration was charmed. For every big pop
chorus, thereÆs a left-of-center twist: the hard blues swagger of ôDiaghalev Was
Rightö veers into a meticulously crafted clarinet-and-violin passage, while the
throb of ôIntolerableö erupts into a free-jazz-meltdown coda reminiscent of Fun
House. The Simp is an album of remarkable refinement, uniting the pop songcraft
of The Baby Teeth Album (2005) with the eccentric home-recording ethos of the
bandÆs 2006 EP For the Heathers. A pairing of highway-wide hooks and intimate
lyrics, it takes just a few spins to carry you away.