Name: EIEIO
Album: That Love Thang
Year: 1988
Style: Pub Rock, Pop, Alt-Country
Similar Bands: Squeeze, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Meat Puppets, BoDeans, REM, Bluebells, Talk Talk, Aztec Camera, Monkees
"One Word" Review: Honky Tonk Bar Pop
Based Out Of: Wisconsin
Label: Frontier
That Love Thang - Cover & Record
That Love Thang - Back & Record
That Love Thang (1988)- Hey Cecilie 3:36
- Words Falling Down 3:25
- Crack Crack Crack 3:27
- Ya Ya Love 4:01
- Andy Warhol's Dead But I'm Not 3:37 /
- That Love Thang 3:10
- Saw of Light 3:38
- Where You Go 3:35
- Gonna Get Gone 1:50
- Across The Tracks 3:38
- Brother Michael 3:52
Album Rating (1-10): 8.5
Members & Other Bands:
Scott Gorsuch - Drums, Vox, Percussion (David Stocker, Insanity, The You, War on the Saints)
Scott Gorsuch - Drums, Vox, Percussion (David Stocker, Insanity, The You, War on the Saints)
Rob Harding - Guitar & Vox (Off Broadway)
Steve Summers - Vox, Rhythm & Acoustic Guitar (Pretty Boy Floyd, Tomas Ramirez, Sprung Monkey, Shameless)
Richard Szeluga - Bass, Vox, Guitar, Poetry
Phil Bonnano - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Mark Volfe - 2nd Engineer
Todd Culross - 2nd Engineer
Dave Kent - 2nd Engineer
Bob Ludwig - Mastering
John Libowski - Cover Art
Mark Palmer - Back Cover Photos
Bill Olson - Guitar, Guitars, Cigar Selection
Brad Wood - Tenor Sax (Liz Phair, Shrimp Boat, Tortoise, Sea & Cake, King Kong, Hub Moore, Stereolab, Ben Lee, Royal Trux, Whale, Smashing Pumpkins, Diane Izzo, Verbow, Pete Yorn, Ben Lee, Edison Glass, Dar Williams, Margaret Cho, Lisa Loeb)
Julie Wood - Baritone Sax (Victor De Lorenzo, Paul Cebar, Steve Gold, Mrs. Fun, Jennifer Day, The Webb Brotheres, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Michelle Wright, Bob Stroger,
Brian Wis - Trumpet
J.P.R. - Trombone & Horn Arrangement (Commander Tom, WA St Original Artists, Robinson Boyz, Do or Die, Al Kapone, Da Braddah, Play N Skillz, UGQ, Don Wuan Esq)
Bruce Breckenfeld - Hammond Organ (Gambler, KMFDN, EnuffZ'Nuff, Satya Graha, Deluxury, Agent Zero,
Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band, but right off the bat, they will most likely be a silly band, taking the nursery rhyme inspired name, and their song Andy Warhol's Dead, But I'm Not cannot be all that serious. The artwork makes me think of British-pop-Dance music, like Soup Dragons or Jesus Jones, even if this is just a little bit older, so we'll see if it is moody college radio (from the photos on the back) or fun dancey beats.
Album Review: This band was
right behind the BoDeans as Alt-Country bands coming out of Wisconsin, but
received less praise. Their style on the second album was more spanning of
different genres, but still maintains Jayhawks, Meat Puppets and other American
Alt-Rock band comparisons. They put out a third album in 2007, and from the
looks of their FB page, they’re still active.
“Hey Cecilie” begins
with a flurry of guitar, before settling into a jazzy, horns fueled pub rock
song. The lead vocals are a little nasally, and the rest of the band backs up
with more hey-hey’s. It is a little twangy, alt-countryish, but it is a rocking
fun song. The secondary chorus acts like a tolerable line dance, in its reprise
and new melody.
“Words Falling
Down” begins jangely, with a secondary upbeat melody. The vocals are not as adventurous,
and are actually a bit monotone, reminding me of REM, especially in how the
vocals are layered to give an echoing, slightly-psych tone.
“Crack Crack
Crack” has a down and dirty guitar intro, and the vocals start out bold and a
bit like Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze and are companied by accenting horns. This
again takes the label of Countryish Pub Rock.
“Ya Ya Love” is a
slower, side to side country beat shuffle. But the Talk Talk / Aztec Camera
Vocals still persist.
“Andy Warhol's
Dead But I'm Not” gets right into the groove with power-pop guitar chorus to
create a solid late-period Squeeze feel. Even the smooth chorus, with a group effort
in support crafts a simple and punchy track. This fully fleshed out song
continues the bass and rhythm guitar melody throughout the whole song, save the
chorus, but even supports the formulaic guitar solo. I just wish the chorus,
the catchiest part of the song would continue a little longer in its melody.
Still, a solid song.
“That Love Thang”
embraces the rockabilly swagger with some wah-wah guitar hooks and washing
brass sections. This again has a sort of line dance feel, but in a natural, fun
way, and enough guitar edge to not need a cowboy hat and flannel to enjoy.
“Sea of Light”
enters with a drum beat, and a nice mellow vocal melody. It is a bit soulful,
and a bit oldies-pop. Once it hits the chorus, you can clearly hear the old
garage bands of the 60’s influence. The verse chorus progression is simple,
catchy and cleanly done. It is a good example of what jangle pop owes to garage
rock. It adds the prerequisite guitar solo after 2 run throughs of
verse-chorus.
“Where You Go”
starts with an off note sounding guitar loop. It is a slow stomp, and a bit psychedelic
(with echoing melody and minor chords) when it hits the chorus. This song also
pays homage to the pop sound of the 60’s, with a little updated production of
the late 80’s.
“Gonna Get Gone”
brings back the country guitar, and is a fast driving (thanks to the drum beat)
song, reminding me a little of the Monkee’s “Goin’ Down,” which makes sense
alliteration-wise.
“Across The
Tracks” changes the pace completely, starting itself off with a dreamy,
windswept intro. The jangely guitar and drum beat push the song forward, but it
has a plains, rolling hillside feel. The song is a little out of place, with
its grand presentation, lacking the pub, oldie, and country feels.
“Brother Michael”
feels gloomy at the front, with some deep strings. It lightens up, as a memory
to the brother, and the strings grow uplifting and the vocals are sentimental,
and solemn. This orchestral song also does not fit on the album, but rather
than Across the Tracks, this adds to their character as a band, showcasing
their highpoints such as melody building and vocal clarity in a new setting
that does not sound dated or obsolete. It is pretty and shows just what they
are capable of. It is a shame the band did not gain the popularity they could
have had coming their way. I would have been interested to see their career had
they gained some better breaks. This album had all the makings of a treasure hunt,
where their gifts were buried just below the surface, and would have become
enhanced with subsequent albums or projects.
Stand Out Track: Sea of Light
