Music for Animals

Artist: Music for Animals
When If they're not touring: San Francisco
Album: Music for Animals
Source: Indiefeed.com
Stylisms: basic rock, a guitar jam session that got good (in the style of early Better than Ezra), an American Kaiser Chiefs
For more: official site (redirects you to..), myspace, amazon (Pepsi point eligible), iTunes

So we've hit you with a number of bands that are electric wizards (Shiny Toy Guns, McAlmont & Butler, Hot Chip...soon) and a number of lyrical gods (Sea Wolf, Mountain Goats, Stars). But honestly, you're struggling through a long day at work or commute home and you just want to rock out. Behold: Music for Animals!

Maybe you'll find some deeper meaning, words that tug on the old heartstrings, or zany new sounds that make you feel like a spaceman; regardless you'll definitely find good driving drums from Ryan which is what I think makes the heart of this band. That's not to say the back and forth between guitarists Jay and Nick and the foundational base from Eli aren't decent, but listen to "Worry" and try not to start air drumming during the bridge. There's a playful attitude in their songs, you can tell these guys just love to jam together and you can confirm it by looking at their tour schedule; they'll play nearly every night between now and April 5 ranging from hometown SanFran out to Connecticut and back again. If that weren't proof enough, they have a weekly video diary of their jam sessions! Er, they HAD the idea at least...

While Music for Animals knows its strengths and sticks to them, there's still a little room to play on this album. They're all rock-out songs that would play great live (and their myspace page has some clips that make me regret going to school out East), but there's a sharp difference between the soft developing of "Apartment" and the accelerated "Redder Cells." I was really excited a few months to see another band, Romantica, experiment with tempo by releasing two versions of the exact same song, "Break", transforming a sad love ballad to a poppy 'screw-you'; Music for Animals doesn't shift quite as radically but "Red Cells" and "Redder Cells" feel like brothers: the subtle sophisticate that'd screw you for crossing him and the older, rough and tumble street fighter that needs no reason to lash out. Michael Schofield vs Lincoln Burrows, if you will.