New discs by Someday Providence and Suicide Bill
By BOB GULLA | July 16, 2008
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It’s a big deal when Someday Providence gets new music out. Voted top Local Act in the 2007 Best Music Poll, they have big shoes to fill and bigger expectations to meet. The new seven-song EP, Thanks For Listening, extends the band’s dedication to breezy pop, but also adds depth, dimension, and a wee bit of heaviness, especially on the chugging “Sing with the Radio” and the super-intense opener “The Gentleman.” Guitarist Tommy Gardner, without a doubt an aficionado of the Chili Peppers’ genius John Frusciante, gets a wide berth on these tracks and he fills that space up with some serious licks. Singer Paul Giammarco’s voice has a certain Every Guy sweetness that goes hand in hand with the band’s feelgood tunes. And bassist Eddy Maher and drummer Fuzzy Moran keep it totally tight and tasty without calling lots of attention to themselves. Recorded at White Noise by Dave Pezza, the disc sounds really good, and it gives Someday Providence’s jaunty vibe a genuine hi-fi lift. Some of lighter tunes, like “The Girl Who Wears the Sun” and the reggae-flavored “Drank Too Much,” are perhaps too thin for the band’s own good. Live, we’re sure these lilting tracks give Giammarco a chance to let the girls sing along. But the band has way too many chops to spend its time paying tribute to Sugar Ray. Still, this material shows growth for what remains one of the scene’s best bands. Catch them with Badfish and ZOX at the WBRU Summer Concert on Saturday (the 19th) at Providence Piers.
Suicide bill and the Liquors
The recording starts with a surly rhyme Neil Young himself would have loved: “You can take a big piss on a fire and still get a little bit burned.” From there, Suicide Bill and his band course through a rootsy array of meaty melodies on A Little Bit . . . Burned? (75 or Less). There’s a Replacements feel to “Original Lonely” and “Strawberry Quik” in the way Cole’s voice suggests a less angry Paul Westerberg. In fact, a lot of the album feels like late ’80s/early ’90s indie rock, the kind that came out of the Restless and Twin/Tone labels. Cole was obviously moved by that ol’ raspy and soulful garage sound; there’s a certain simplicity to the his melodies, especially on “Valium” and “Alligator Arms,” where Cole and the boys cross that indie sound with a little more Harvest-era Neil.
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