NEW IDEA SOCIETY – FIRE ON THE HILL

Hard core music aficionados enjoy it when artists step out of their usual comfort zones in an attempt to find solace within creative spaces. I confess, I sometimes feel the same way, but not always. Working together now within the context of New Idea Society, both Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) and Mike Law (Wild Arrows) for over 20 years, I’m not so sure there are many new ideas left. While I can appreciate the earlier, rougher recordings because aesthetically they seemed raw. That in and of itself was intriguing (ok, ok, I’m listening to You Are Awake Or Asleep). I don’t feel that sense of urgency here with Fire On The Hill (Relapse). Sure, the band slips across lengthy tracks like the wistful “Nightbirds,” but it seems to prolong its melody. Sure, the harmonies are on point, but maybe slice it in half, and there you have something you can sink your teeth into. Fans want to hear the sincerity and not have to listen to something that might drag on. But the opening “Sharing Arrow” gets my attention here as they playfully wrap their guitars around notes that could fall into dissonance but are slightly held back just enough to indulge the senses. The harmonies between Brodsky and Law are alluring, and both work together in unison, creating something grandiose with superfluous conceit. It isn’t a surprise that the duo explores a vast terrain, never sticking to just one territory; a musical manifest destiny of sorts. It leaves you wondering where New Idea Society will end up next.

TELEHEALTH – GREEN WORLD IMAGE

Breaking down the imaginary world we live in, while at the same time realizing reality has us all fucked up. Things we may not have ever imagined have taken on corporeal forms, and well, maybe we can’t ignore them anymore. We’ve gotten to the point where we now are, with gut-wrenching feelings of adulting, and it’s no longer fun and games. There are real problems we have to take care of, situations that can’t be ignored. This is when you just might think this is a problem; you’re not the only one dealing with it.

Enter: Telehealth, the band out of Seattle, WA that has less to do with flannel than anyone in Arizona has to do with umbrellas. But Telehealth just released its sophomore effort, Green World Image (Sub Pop), a post-punk adventure through, despite what anyone might claim, a wondrous world of counter culture, politics, and finance, with a possibly tongue-in-cheek view of the world. The band, Co-founded in 2022 by married couple Alexander Attitude (synths/vox/guitar) and Kendra Cox (synths/vox), is rounded out by collaborators Ian McCutcheon (drums), John O’Connor (bass), and Dillon Sturtevant (guitar). Telehealth at times seems provocative, but for some reason, it comes across with its not-so-serious attitude although yeah, the music is serious AF!

The group’s music might seem frenzied at first, and when Alexander Attitude’s voice drips through speakers, headphones, etc., it’s delivered with a similar effect you might get if Fred Schneider and Mark E. Smith had a love child. But musically/lyrically, Telehealth is the sound of the real world, there’s no half-stepping, no double-talk, and no pandering to any group. It’s quick to simply tell you what’s going on around you because you might be too blind to see it for your fucking self. Cleverly wrapped lyrics strewn across an adventurous bed of sound, sonically enticing listeners with electronic noodling atop wondrous rhythms. If that’s not clear, “Silver Spoon,” opening with sax drifting across its finite space, sounds limitless as a keyboard note rings out for almost a minute and a half. And then the mood shifts, and then the band enters with its mechanical-like rhythm with guitars coming in and out and synths rolling all around. Here, Kendra Cox matches the rhythm with her start/stop vocal delivery. She spits facts, trudging along and getting by as best she can, as the cost of living remains at an all-time high, and continues to rise. Living is no longer affordable. But she breaks down the small things, “avocado toast, Luckys” as well as her “student loan” she can’t afford. She doesn’t have that proverbial silver spoon the wealthy pass down from one generation to the next.

It’s the infectious “Age Of Muralcide” though that has me swaying back and forth while we get a sense of capitalism and consumerism. The fabric is deteriorating faster than we can sew in new swaths. But hey, it’s the buttery drip of that bassline that’s inviting as guitars accentuate it all. That and the keyboard swaying in the wind is invigorating. Attitude’s voice mixing with Cox’s, yeah, I’m definitely here for it. The frantic “Things I Killed” continues with that wide-eyed look through culture although I don’t have enough time to address the things I’ve killed myself. Everyone has a story, and they list it all, and it’s all in the name of commerce. Telehealth makes it fun though! The band helps you forget your worries, wrapping ideals around the succulent songs that are delivered here.

Maybe it’s my imagination, but for some reason Coleman Domingo name pops in my head when I hear what may be a sample on “The Telehealth Shuffle.” Just mentioning that for no apparent reason, listening to Green World Image for the 20^th time. No, I’m not listening to it because I’m writing something about Telehealth’s new album; I’m listening to it again because it’s fucking brilliant! Through pop music, the group delivers its message: There’s so much information out there you’re not paying attention to. While politicians have now become brazen enough to say the quiet part out loud, Telehealth is sitting back thinking, “Told you so.” The band vocalizes our daily anxieties and sets them to music. Yeah, it’s all set to music, and it’s fucking brilliant. I know I said that already, but maybe this time you’ll get my point.