Review Summary: A record almost as enticing as the band's name.
Indie-pop is a tough genre to exist in. Often featuring bands that only delve deep enough with their sound to produce records that sound stale, outdated and generally monotonous, the genre is rarely a source for groundbreaking musical ingenuity. However, standing out from this typically lifeless accumulation is
Parade, the sophomore effort from Cleveland-based duo
Afternoon Naps.
I wonder if Tom Dechristofaro and Leia Hohenfeld named their duo with the intention of producing music as refreshing and enjoyable as the band name itself. Perhaps all that the indie-pop genre needs is something as simple and powerful as a quick midday siesta to start producing straightforward and fun yet not overly-predictable tunes that even harsh critics will have a soft spot for. Either way, the 2009 release of
Parade exists as an indie gem amongst its companions.
Though maintaining a generally traditional musical structure throughout the record, Dechristofaro and Hohenfeld still manage to create a powerfully fun collection of songs. Right from the get-go on "Plum City Fight Song", the duo make use of twangy, 60's pop inspired guitar riffs and dual vocal duties to construct what is undoubtedly one of the record's catchiest tunes. As the closing synth on this track fades out, the silence is replaced by the fun, pounding rhythm and melody of "Beach Bums", possibly the album's most enjoyable track. Barely eclipsing three minutes in length, this song showcases some of the band's psychedelic power-pop influence at its finest. Add to this the once-again theatrical dual vocal responsibilities, spouting fantasies of laying on a beach with one's lover, and the output is borderline sensational.
"Anything you want to ask of me,
just whisper it to the breeze.
I will try my hardest not to scream
as waves crash on top of me."
Being a Buffalo, NY native myself, a cold and snowy town separated from Cleveland by only a couple hundred miles of vast, frigid Lake Erie in the wintertime, I find the fantasy expressed in "Beach Bums" to be a very relatable one. During a wintry season which sometimes lasts for almost half of the year, being sprawled out in a cool, refreshing ocean on a hot day sounds like one of life's simplest luxuries. Again, this song truly encapsulates the refreshing and upbeat feel of the record that so many indie-pop efforts have previously failed to arrive at.
This recurring theme of getting through the cold, blustery months in the Northeast is once again expressed by songs like "Mitten Fingers" and "The Fall Companion". The former boasts a rather unambitious musical score, with little more than a simple, retro-pop guitar riff alongside kindly placed blurbs from an organ and synthesizer. It's treasure, however, lies in a fantastic chorus featuring the ever-present combination of Dechristofaro and Hohenfeld's vocals. It almost seems to suggest that, especially in the aforementioned winter months, perhaps so much more is to be found in the coupling of two people than can be invented in just one individual. Although both vocalists shine to some degree on their own, indie-pop perfection lies in the merging of their efforts.
The weakness of
Parades, much like the deficiency of many an indie-pop record before it , lies in its sometimes shallow production and occasionally surface-based lyrics. Songs such as "Catholic School" attest to this fact, with a catchy chorus and fun melody but little to back that up. However, this record seems to be less affected by such indie-pop woes that have inflicted so many albums before it, and it maintains its position as one of 2009's most refreshing records, at least in its respective genre. Though it is not an effort to satiate the most technical of musical aficionados,
Parade still stands as a most enjoyable listening experience, and a record that is certainly worth checking out.
