Album review of Jacuzzi Boys' self-titled CD

I recently gave a listen through the new Jacuzzi Boys' album, which comes out Sept. 22 through Sub Pop Records.

On the band's Facebook page, they describe the album, saying "It’s like that movie you once saw. The one with the boy and the girl and the plastic lounger on the beach. “Be My Prism” was the invitation. “Black Gloves” and “Double Vision” the promise. “Dust” was the rising tide. “Rubble,” the dirty uncle. “Hotline” was the lightning storm, and “Ultraglide” was the ending, the part where he drove her home with the windows down.You remember you liked it. It stayed with you while you swam alone in your pool that night.

Right off the bat, I found that the album doesn't take a whole lot of thinking to digest. It's light, breezy and smooth. It has a light bit of rock solos and riffs to it, but not enough to make you feel like you're listening to anything but alternative pop-rock. 

In a way I would describe it as a take on the "Big Me" era Foo Fighters. 

I felt it a little too simplistic at times. Other times, I felt like it had just enough of the elements to make the sound work. 

In a way making an album is a bit like cooking a meal. You have the ingredients, the cooks, the equipment and the skill/experience of the people making it happen. 

With "Jacuzzi Boys," the cooks seem to be talented enough to make some decent music. But, don't expect a Led Zeppelin-like complexity to the tunes. 
Whereas a band like Arcade Fire might be Julia Child, the Jacuzzi Boys are more akin to Rachel Ray. 

Some of the highlights for me are "Heavy Horse," "Hotline" and "Rubble," which might be my favorite track of the album. I found myself listening to it two or three times in a row.

That was in contrast to "Domino Moon." The song has some heavy riffs and aggressive pacing, but they're kind of negated by the overly laid-back vibe from the vocals.
I found myself wishing there was more angst in the singer's approach

 Then, finally, on "Ultraglide," there's still something that feels a little off about the vocals matched up with the music. It's got that very lo-fi feel to it. I think that sound can make your band seem endearing. Some of the songs on this album, it does. On this song, it sounds a bit amateurish.

If I were summing this album up, I'd say first and foremost, this is good-time music. 
The artwork, too, is a trip. The cover art is probably the funkiest I've seen in a while. There's really no way to describe it with words, but you can see for yourself here: 

 The handwritten linter notes on the inside and cursive track listing on the back makes it feel very indie/hipster. It's like one of those albums that's unheard-of listening to on anything but a record player. 

As far as the music goes, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these songs on the soundtrack of a romantic comedy or two.
 But, as far as advancing the genre, this album doesn't do much in that regard.  Maybe the next album they'll try some more risks and take things to different places that you might not expect. 

The potential is there, so I'll definitely have my eyes on what these guys end up doing next. 
 

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Montana Actors' Theatre-Great Falls, Aug. 31

Levon Allen, Josh Wendt and Bob MacNamee perform a scene from "The Complete Works of Willam Shakespeare (Abriged)

Last night at the MAT, I experienced several oddly specific theater firsts.

I was kicked out of my seat so one of the actors could sit in it. I was (fake) puked on, twice, by Mr. Levon Allen, and I was asked to run laps back and forth on stage during the second act. I thought it all was great fun.

This script calls for audience participation just at the right moment, in my estimation. From a director's standpoint, you need to have the audience on board totally with you or else it won't work. Once they're invested in the story, then you can get them to do anything, almost.

A big part of what makes it work is the fact that Levon, Bob MacNamee and Josh Wendt have great onstage chemistry.

Which is good, because it's hard to perform all of Shakespeare's plays at once, sort of, if all of the actors aren't on board together.

Much of the performance is dedicated to parodying Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Some of the other plays are mixed in, as well, but aren't given as much time. They're still funny and effective in their condensed versions.

There's also several popular references, subtle Shakespeare references and physical gags. All and all it's a nice mix. Plus, Levon is quite funny in a dress. A man in a dress is ALWAYS funny. That should be written in the official rule book of comedy. It's never not funny, even if you try to make it so.

Thinking about it more, in a way, Josh, Bob and Levon are like conductors taking the audience on an adventure. I think that effect worked better at times than others, but more or less, the audience is as much a part of the show as the actors.

The costumes, props and lighting really were handled well, also. Sometimes in a show the props can detract from it if they don't fit in with the feel the actors are giving. For this show, however, the props and costumes fit the mood perfectly.

I also appreciated the fact that the script includes passages right from Shakespeare. At times I found myself yearning for more actual Shakespeare, but, that would've made it a different show.

Essentially this was the Naked Gun of Shakespeare. And, that's okay.

As I was leaving the theater, one of the ladies in front of me said to her friend "I haven't laughed that much consistently for a long while."

That, to me, speaks more about the play than anything I can write. That's what people will be telling their neighbors.

I've been thinking about some critical things I can say, but I can't think of many.

The weakest scene, to me, was the middle part when they read the combination of Shakespeare's comedies from the sheet-music stands. About midway through it, I found myself waiting for them to get back to the physical acting.

I guess it created a contrast. I'm just not sure it's quite as effective contrast as some of the other ones they used. But, it still had it's funny lines that engaged the audience. Maybe just the stands between the actors and the audience created a barrier, ever so subtle, that made the difference.

All and all, though, this is a quality show. Levon, Josh and Bob are all confident in their performances. It's a small thing, maybe, but it makes a big difference.

I recommend seeing "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). It only shows for one more weekend, so catch it while you can.