If you love the lush saxophone springs, the funky bass taping and the quick-witted lyrics of Here Come The Mummies, then The Van Burens will be a logical addition to your musical library.
Full of humor, quirky lyrics and tight music beds, the EP Presidential Love Fest has little to do with historical accuracy. The upbeat and charming tunes, like “Tricky Dick” are fun and toe-tapping. In “Tricky Dick” the saxophone is the main character, whereas all the other instrumentation is, er, presidential.
Mixed between tracks are mysterious recordings – some airy and intrusive live “bye, bye.” This snippet (it’s 1:24) feels like the listener is invading in a private conversation. The electronic music bed pulsates like an enclosed, anxious feeling. The opening “Miss Lola Overture” is intriguing and unfortunately, lost on this particular listener.
“Hey Everybody” has a strong reggae -flavor. The trumpets are warm and so easy to embrace. Such joy! The harmonies are gorgeous (George-ush, sorry, had to make that presidential tie). The guitar bed is equally thrilling. This song has some of the makings of a 311, but lacks the hip hop tone.
Bridged between “Hey Everybody” and “Reagan” is the short, eery ‘hello.’ This recording felt creepy and out of place. Perhaps foreshadowing? “Are there any ghosts in your house?” a male voice asks a small child.
“Reagan” has a lot of reggae punch to it. It’s just a fun song! I think I even caught an organ sound in the beginning that just had this jumpy squeak. “Lee Harvey” is a long track – complete with a recording about ‘communists’. The bluesy-guitar riff is a nicely arranged distraction from the ghostly wind blowing through the music bed.
Soon, a splash of funk ignites. An intricate guitar riff tickles back and forth with the horn section in a friendly battle. Something about this song feels light and happy – so strange considering the subject matter. But, The Van Burens manage it! There are so many twists and turns musically in this track that it stands out as the best. Pay special attention to the piano keys cascading and at times tripping down a stairwell of notes.
“This Town” starts out like the blooming cherry blossoms; the jazzy horns seduce the listener to relax. What I liked most about this song is the subtle change from the subdued beginning to a slow-moving reggae-ish track. They don’t overdue the traditional reggae beats.
“LBJ” starts out like it means business. And, with the lyrics “Lyndon Johnson sitting on the pot, calling shots…” is a riot. The only reason I know that this is the truth is because I’m a self-proclaimed history nerd. The humor and crazy tempo in this track is worth the listen.
Overall, The Van Burens gained a fan in me – their ‘Presidential Love Fest’ EP is quite impressive. They had me guessing – my vote is an A.
