Friday, May 30, 2014

Band Review: The Relationship


I first got interested in reviewing The Relationship because of Brian Bell, also of Weezer. I enjoyed listening to their album, but I now have doubts that the review was a good idea, because their web site only has a video you can't watch, and most of the features aren't enabled on the Facebook side, which made me wonder if it was worth promoting the band. However, they seem to post on Facebook regularly, and played a gig in Los Angeles recently, and there's never anything wrong with listening to a good album.

Weezer is not the only related band, as The Relationship also features Anthony Burulcich of The Bravery, Nate Shaw of The Huns, and I may not know what other bands Jon LaRue has been in, but I do not doubt that he has past musical experience. They know what they are doing.

The songs have a mellow sound, showing influences from earlier bands like Buddy Holly and The Beatles. "You Rock My Heart" especially demonstrates that - the crooning and juke joint piano invokes guys with slicked up hair in matching white shirts, blue jackets, and black string ties. "Master Plan" with its hints of brass and building chorus, reminds me of Yellow Submarine-era Beatles, but "Thought I Knew" sounds fairly modern.

My favorite, though, is "Please Help Me". The textures and rhythm are interesting, but mainly for me it had the highest emotional impact, pulling me down into it.

At this point I feel like the web site is a weakness - it might be better to toss it and focus on Facebook - and the only purchasing option I could find was a limited number of import CDs on Amazon. (They are on Spotify, which is how I listened.) Those things can be frustrating for fans, and they can hold back the band. They are not reflections on the music, however, which is of course the most important thing.

Check out the music.



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