In Review...

A summary judgment from the court of my opinion in the matter of LOCAL ATLANTA BAND DUKE FAME and THEIR LATEST CD TOO PROUD TO PRACTICE.

If you walked into a bar and didn’t expect to see a band playing – and Duke Fame was there – you’d be pleasantly surprised. You’d dig a couple of the choruses and hooks. You’d find the fellows inviting and amusing.

If you listen to “Too Proud to Practice” you’ll find one or two of the tunes stuck in your head – and you’ll be glad they are.

This isn’t “oh-my-God, get-my-cousin-who-runs- the-indie-label-on-the-phone” praise – but Duke Fame is better than most of the part-time, weekend efforts you’ll hear.

A disclaimer: Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Brandon Firfer is a close colleague of mine. He sits a few couple cubes over – just far enough to make beaming him with a white board eraser an interesting challenge. We've talked about doing a parody rock song (lots of Anderson Cooper put-downs) if CNN ever brings back their talent show that was once their Christmas party. And even though Duke Fame’s lyrics are playful and fun, I find them less widely imaginative and quirky than Brandon himself. But that’s not a bad thing -- I wonder how rock-song accessible unfiltered Brandon might be.

But back to the matter at hand - here’s what Duke Fame will give you – straight-up, guitar-driven pop blended with sweetness and a touch of occasional crunch. Think early Who mixed with (Athens band) Five Eight, then churned with a Bit-O-Honey (uh, the candy, not a band) and Blink 182’s self-referential mocking humor -- red-shifted about 10 years down the age spectrum.

The tracks on Too Proud to Practice break down into a couple of categories:
1) Hook-driven, solid, catchy songs with interesting lyrics and bridges. This includes Serenity Now; Hurry Up Crow; Proctor, Gamble and Huff; and Hong Kong Rob and *maybe* Minor Chords.

2) A couple of near-misses – All Hail the Monument Club; Patterns.

3) A couple tracks I found bland: Roller Joe, Pin the Blame on the Donkey.

4) And two change ups – Memory Bucket – a slow track with a trumpet; and the bob-up-and-down with a hooting chorus (like an owl) 2nd Chance to Get It Right the First Time. Both are refreshing. I wish they lasted longer.

Mix the decent tunes, near misses and change-ups – and Duke Fame will keep you interested.

Things I particularly liked:
· Serenity Now’s bop-y carefree verses sweep along, in tension with the heartache of the song. Mixed with lines like “a total eclipse of your face” and “the edge of two-dimensional space” – I’m sold.

· Hurry Up, Crow’s I’m-just-a-flunky punk attitude mixed with verses that kick off with early Rush-like sounding guitar lines. There are a couple of these anthem-sounding breakdowns in the songs I particularly liked.

The songs are imaginative – the best of them combine Brandon’s lyrics humorous lyrics with interesting pop work that runs the spectrum of 60s-to-now references.

Sure, it’s been done before, but Duke Fame picks apart some interesting pieces and puts them together in a way that’s refreshing.

Some snap judgments for improvement:
1) The rhythm section – I want to hear ‘em! Cymbals washing through; a more raw and punctuated bass. I want the rhythm section to have more of an edge – and to have a greater voice in the songs. The hooks and guitar work is there – now let’s hear more bass!

2) The 100-percent Steve efforts are the least interesting. The lyrics are less-specific, less imaginative and for me the hooks fall a little flat. The interesting breakdowns and bridges of the other songs are gone – replaced by guitar solos – which I find to be the least interesting and most obligatory-sounding part of the band’s music. Replace these with more and longer change-up songs.

3) Leader singer Brandon seems to stretch for the high notes on some of the songs. Advice – channel Men at Work singer Colin Fey (no, don’t look at me that way, I’m serious). Fey’s got a similarly limited high range. The styles of music aren’t the same, but the ranges seem the same to me. What if the bridge in Serenity Now had the kind of emotional howl Colin could muster to contrast with the don’t-have-a-care-in-the-world sections? Or that kind of punch in Memory Bucket, (the theme of which reminds me of The Police’s ‘King of Pain’ – not the music, the lyrics).

But, as the album’s solid opener (Proctor, Gamble and Huff) goes - who really has the time?

Even if Duke Fame never gets the second first thing right the third time – or however that song goes – if they truly are only thinking about their next beer, like they portend to be – don’t worry, it’ll be OK – you won’t mind drinking and singing along with them.