ARTIST: Triggers
TITLE: Elude the Suits
LABEL: Self Released
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 208kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 17m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-12-02
RIP DATE: 2007-01-21
Track List
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1. Eyes Like A Ninja 4:17
2. She Had Me At Takeoff 3:03
3. Anyone At Anytime 3:08
4. Body English 3:07
5. Change It Up 3:49
Release Notes:
When you start with herky-jerky piano pop and throw in a lot of falsetto
whoo-hoo-hoo's, it's tempting to immediately make the Ben Folds comparison. But
on their debut EP, Elude the Suits, Triggers manage to sound like a different
group on almost every power-poppin' song, starting with the adenoidal
Costelloish anthem, "Eyes Like a Ninja."
You may recall Triggers' vocalist Brett Zoric from his stint in earnest hopefuls
Monarch; this more fun-loving context seems a much more natural fit for him,
alongside Joe Kasler (bass) and ex-You members Adam Rousseau (guitar) and
"Woody" Kawood (drums).
As I was saying, Triggers cover a lot of ground over five songs and barely 17
minutes. "She Had Me on Takeoff" ignites with a chopsticky keyboard line
reminiscent of Manfred Mann's "Blinded By the Light," before switching into
junky percussion, breezy falsetto vocals and clap-and-sing-along choruses -- a
groove on the order of "Peaches and Cream" from Beck's farcical romp, Midnite
Vultures.
The strong Elvis Costello influence resurfaces on "Body English" (itself a very
Costello title), in lines like "Forget the words that I don't know / They
changed but I'm not here anymore," delivered with a cynical glee. The
raunched-out "Anyone at Anytime" smacks of Beatles via Supergrass, while the
closer, "Change It Up," does just that, blending pop-rock with a taste of ska.
I could do with two-thirds of the whoo's dying a quiet death, and the songs
would certainly benefit from a little more shine. That said, Rousseau's
guitar-playing is unexpectedly bracing, and Elude the Suits accomplishes
precisely what an EP from an ambitious new group should do: show a band
experimenting with sound and style, demonstrate a certain room to grow, and hint
at future accomplishment. With this kind of a start, Triggers just might be next
year's model.