Every Scene Needs A Center by Tullycraft
In all honesty I'd never even heard the term twee pop prior to buying the latest Tullycraft release. And now, after hearing that term, I have to agree that it's just about the perfect description. Tullycraft have been around for just about forever, but for those outside the Pacific Northwest that may not necessarily be known, especially when Seattle is known for genres of music not called twee pop. Just because one is unknown does not necessarily mean that one should be underestimated. Tullycraft, indeed, should not be underestimated.
What exactly is twee pop? Technically it's a British thing characterized by jangly 60's pop melodies with childlike, innocently sung lyrics, but there was an American movement of twee pop that surfaced in and around the Olympia, WA area. I wonder where Tullycraft is originally from? Duh. Which of course would sort of make them the collective American gods of twee pop even if they don't like being called that. If you can't call them that, you can at least cal them the best, latest incarnation of the genre. And they have proudly carried that mantle for at least the last 10 years in my opinion. I like to think of them as a sort of B-52's with better musicians and way less over the top camp, not that I don't like a little camp.
Every Scene Needs A Center is jam packed with uptempo numbers that leave you with no choice but to bob your head and sing along. Pick a song based on a great sounding title like The Punks Are Writing Love Songs or Georgette Plays A Goth and you can't wrong. I hate to say that all the songs on here sound pretty much are the same because that sounds negative, but in general they are all the same kind of songs with the exception of a couple. The Lonely Life of a UFO Researcher is one of those. It sort of sounds like the title would lead you to believe, but there's something about it that transcends a normal pop song. The lyrics and the way it's sung and recorded could not be more perfect. It's still a twee pop song and that connotes throwaway, but there is nothing throwaway about it. To me it's a clear standout mixed in with a lot of other really good songs, some of which have some great lines like Without the Revlon girls at Macy's Peter Murphy won't survive. I don't care who you are, that's some funny stuff.
When I look back at all the great songs that I really, really like, the common thing that most all them hold is that they come in at between 2 1/2 and 3 minutes each. Pretty much every song on this release is right at that mark. Coincidence? Maybe, but I do like an awful lot of these songs. They're smart, fun, poppy and they put me in a good mood, and for those of you that know me, you know I'm a much better person to deal with when I'm in a good mood.
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