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Gentleman Auction House - Alphabet Graveyard
indie-pop on the block |
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Review by Tony Bonyata "We're shot like cannonballs off a mountaintop into oceans of our history, and we won't stay down," Eric Enger cries on the ridiculously quirky and catchy song "The Book of Matches" on Gentleman Auction House's debut effort Alphabet Graveyard. And with an album that's exploding with refreshingly new sounding indie-rock its evident they're not about to be held down.Despite that the St. Louis-based septet has an air of familiarity about them (Enger's voice at times hearkens to Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, while a bit of Arcade Fire's chamber pop also manages to seep in, albeit a whole lot sunnier for this affair) there's still no denying the uniqueness of this band in the sea of indie tweeness these days. Alphabet Graveyard is filled with cute and indelible pop ("Call It Casual" and "If I'm The First To Go," with its rifling rhythm and call-to-arms harmonies), upbeat eccentricities ("ABCDEFGraveyard," the snaky "New Moon" and the disco-beat driven "I Sleep In A Bed Of Scissors Arms") as well as a bit of Baroque pop ("We Used To Dream About Bridges"). And just for good measure GAH also incorporates the gentle lullaby of "Good Behavior" as well as the more reflective and introspective number "24th." It's no wonder that college radio has already gotten behind this strong debut, not to mention the positive press accolades that continue to roll in since its release just a couple of months ago (this being no exception). With their bouncy, positive, unique and downright irresistible pop if you see Gentleman Auction House on-the-block anytime in your area, put your bid inŠ you won't regret it. Gentleman Auction House will be performing this Sunday, September 21st at the Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St. in Chicago, IL (773) 478-4408 |