Several DFW area blogs have already discussed these folks recently, but I figure there are a few out of towners that still haven’t heard the word on Grapevine, TX’s Mount Righteous (Official / Myspace). Their new EP, Open Your Mouth, is a gem of a Marching Band Pop disc. The band refers to their sound as Baroque Pop, but I like Marching Band Pop better.
Trombone, big-ass drums and even an accordion (I think) are showcased here. For the most part, this infectiously fun record is rather tuba-intensive. The heavy blows of the tuba are well-suited to the shouted and harmonius vocals of the group. At times, the group of singers team together and remind me of another interesting band from this area, Polyphonic Spree. In fact, lyrics like “I got a car, look at me, fancy free” sound really cool and whimsical instead of mundane or random, when performed in the jubilant arrangements that dominate the EP’s overall sound. I really think the relatively short length of a 5 song EP works best in the case of Mount Righteous, as the small amount of songs help the band avoid a bombastic monotony that would likely take place over the course of a 12-13 song LP.
LISTEN: Mount Righteous – “Sing To Me Tiffany”
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4 Responses
I enjoyed this EP, the marching band thing is going to serve these kids well. If you’ve never heard “When The Child Awakes,” I highly suggest it.
Yeah, I think it serves them well also, i still am not sure I would want to deal with a full length LP of it though….
So I’m guessing that you haven’t heard their LP “When The Music Starts” then?
No, I havent Jim. I’ve been meaning to look it up however. As I have said, not sure I’ll dig the vibe over he long-haul, but I have been wrong a million other times…It’s not a bad thing, I really liked this EP quite a bit and wanted to hel spread the word, obviously.