Review Summary: Head over to mobil, pick out a sixer.
Quarterbacks is a band who, upon first listen, may conjure up notions of George-Michael Bluth coming off a Belle and Sebastian kick and making an album with a tape recorder. The cutesy drumming isn't dissimilar to the percussion functions on keyboards, and the fuzzy, simple guitar work gives the album a lighthearted feel. The lyrics are naive and feel quaintly nostalgic. Dean Engle's lyrics are based primarily on failed relationships and, while sincere enough, bear emotional anguish comparable to Winnie the Pooh running out of honey in his cupboard. Despite this description, don't be deterred from enjoying Quarterbacks' music.
Quarterboy is an album rife with catchy twee pop ditties reminiscent of simpler times, particularly when relationships were fleeting, yet inconsequential; this is exemplified perfectly by "Not In Luv": "
I'm not in love with anyone, at least not this morning / somehow love got boring / my heart was broken and I barely noticed."
This track, along with "Sportscenter" et al. are more high energy, almost to the point where Quarterbacks could be (liberally) considered pop-punk. The album as a whole feels very fast-paced, as the longest of the twelve tracks runs less than two minutes, and the entire album clocks in at roughly sixteen minutes. Within this short time, Quarterbacks successfully create an album packed with infectious melodies and youthful innocence. While the album is hardly ambitious, it's forgivable. We were all kids once, and
Quarterboy can certainly remind us of that.
