Blond Furniture’s quirky new CD Music For Early Century Modern brings back the purer form of rock found during the rival in late 1970s Great Britain and The United States. Within a simple framework and with less pretension than the post-synth world, this New London, Connecticut band rocks with a spirited sense of fun. A likable, familiar lead vocal, rugged harmony support, and pugilistic drumming and percussion results in several minutes of fun music. Most of these tunes were penned by lead vocalist and drummer Bill Dumas who has been working the Connecticut music scene and beyond for many years.
“When You Sleep” opens this album with a galloping groove and slappy guitar chords. Dumas’s rugged lead vocal announces itself from behind his drum kit. This ode to a sleeping partner manages to be sincere and rocking at once. A catchy, gripping work, it ripples with Dumas’s drumming and Chris MacKay’s assertive percussion. .
“Black & White” reminds of The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and many others from that era. Ludent Tremel grinds out a thin lead guitar phrase that smolders and powers much of the vocals above it. Dumas’s lead vocal gets a gang vibe support from MacKay and Tremel, keeping things direct, punchy, and punctuated.
More punchy fun abounds on “If This Wasn’t Just A Dream.” A smooth vocal reminds of a friend whispering confidentially into your ear. This chummy vocal approach rides a riffing lead guitar line, making it a double whammy of catchiness. A special arrangement of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” sounds somehow tender coming from Dumas’ ruggedly handsome voice. It also gets a sweep of warm, emotive notes from Sue MacKay’s mellow accordion. The harmony vocals during the chorus are an extra treat for the ears.
A sprawling, spacey rocker “Start The Revolution” feels like something epic in its accordion broad strokes, forlorn harmony vocals, and carefully phrased lead guitar cruise. Organically developed with the accordion, this more artsy outing from the band reminds of early Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones “2000 Light Years From Home,” and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Dumas’s vocal is nicely understated and his forlorn delivery makes us feel like our spaceship needs to get back to planet Earth.
It is uncanny how well this band weaves an edgy guitar chord progression with a zigzagging accordion on “I Could‘ve Been A Contender.” That gritty interaction makes a good home for Dumas’s quirky vocal personality, a vocal that perfectly captures the neurotic theme here. “Model Citizens,” after starting out with British police sirens, jumps into action with a kicking lead guitar line. Nothing fancy, at first. It just drives forward with momentum as Dumas states his gripes with assertive vocals supported by gang banger harmonies. By the time that guitar line catches on fire with a razor thin phrase, this entire song is hopping, jumping, jiving like crazy. Dumas’s drums, particularly, dispense palpable fills like nobody’s business.
Searing guitar and pushy bass(Bill Quinn) turns “Pain Drips Like Blood” into a fistfight between instruments. For every drum fill pounded, lead guitar phrase emitted, and bass assertion, the rest of the band rocks even harder, making this feel organic, like it was recorded in one successful take. It’s beautifully fresh, original, and uninhibited.
“Don’t Ever Fall Apart” has many lilting instrument lines making this wide, arcing piece swing in a slow circular motion. As the song turns, we get juicy percussion fills, moody accordion swirls, subtle vocals, a sensitive guitar piping in pleasantly, and enough tight rhythmic work to make this spin happen.
“No Love To Write About” makes the most of the band’s mid-tempo strengths. While keeping an even pace, Blonde Furniture, again, injects many fine points of percussion(Chris MacKay), effective guitar injections, sweeping vocals, and a whole lot of finesse in this swirling song.
Blonde Furniture close out this album with “Closing Time,” a cover of New London, Connecticut’s The Reducers 1984 hit single. This mid-tempo reflection on life in a small, working class city gets a respectful treatment from this more current band from New London. A smooth interplay between lead and harmony vocals intrigue while an accordion line, a jangling guitar, and an intricate rhythmic work, especially from bassist Bill Quinn, keep the listener fascinated with the group’s attention to detail.
Blonde Furniture have done well for themselves on Music For Early Century Modern. Their passionate raw energy combined with quirky vocals, sly harmonies, and interesting artistic flourishes here and there make it a tasty, involving work. Produced by Jon Quinn at Quinn Music, every note gets noticed on this disc which should make Blonde Furniture a well known band throughout New England.
