Review: The Full Service

The Full Service
The Full Service @ MySpace

I probably should just let this one go. An unsolicited request to review, or at least preview, the Full Service from Austin. The two tracks I listened to--Blueberry Farm and Hi-Ho--are technically proficient. The composition of their music is thoughtful and lacking in many of the traditional indie rock band clichés. Being from Austin, they successfully avoid coming off sounding like a Voxtrot copy-cat, but I don't think that alone is necessarily a good thing. Being technically proficient and having the ability to write songs that are not overtly offensive to the ears, while far better than most, does not exactly endear one's self to the band. The music of the Full Service just kind of floated in, made a few funny faces, maybe told a sweet joke or two and then just as quietly took their leave. Unlike Satié who wanted to, and in fact did, write furniture music, the Full Service write wallpaper music. Yes, it's there, but after five minutes it fades into the background. If you'd like a comparison then I'd say they have a sound similar to that of Whitest Boy Alive but without the novelty of taking minimalist music to an extreme in a traditional indie rock band set up. So goddamnit, put some fucking substance into it. Fuck, just fill out the sound a little and the lyrics wouldn't sound so trite. Keyboards, jangly noise, just something to add that touch of indie cred would do it. The Full Service can save themselves and even standout in the music scene if they just tried to not be so small, soft and sweet.

I hear your band has sold your guitars and bought turntables

Robotique Majestique - Ghostland Observatory

An hour of listening and I can already tell this album will make it onto my regular car rotation. Now if only they would play a proper Dallas venue.

The Waste Land

Ghostland Observatory @ MySpace

I've forgotten to do this enough so I'm posting about Austin act Ghostland Observatory. I've tried very hard not to like these guys, my natural tendency is to recoil from anything with any kind of hype. But their mix of glitchy electronics and spastic vocals have gotten to me, enough so that I'm actually anxious for their next album Robotique Magistique to drop at the end of the month. But for the moment I have to settle with three tracks from the forthcoming album. Check it.