The Rosebuds did a cover of the Salt N’ Pepa classic “Push It’ a couple years back. Featured in Spin magazine recently, the band has been getting more and more recognition for their not-altogether-unique, but ultimately appealing indie pop songwriting. The band is married couple Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp. Based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, their new cd Life Like, comes a year after their last effort, Night of the Furies, which divided fans with its extensive use of keyboards and dance beats.
The opening track “Life Like” drives along with a simple bass/drum backbeat and laconic duel vocals, angled with a tawny guitar riff. The melodic richness is contrasted throughout the CD; the band mix it up, and that variety makes Life Like go down smooth. Sonically the CD sounds good. It’s not overproduced and (thankfully) not compressed beyond recognition. This gives a warm ambiance to the effort, suiting the stripped down music and vocals.
"Bow to the Middle" is snappy, catchy, and a nice slice of pure pop songwriting. The next track, “Nice Fox”, has a compelling refrain: “And it don’t mean nothing at all”, which drops in unexpectedly into a fairly plain guitar line. It's little nuances like this that set this apart from the pack, and really that’s what makes it a compelling record.
Lyrically the subject matter takes on a slightly darker, mature theme that sneaks up on the listener, sitting below the music as a counterweight. “Cape Fear” has the best verse (Holler at me, give me updates / Heard another catfish ate a man / They got a search team going in / Shaky shaky shake all right), while “Border Guards” conjures up the image of a way worn soul yearning for another. A classic plot to be sure, but the angle of immigration gives this track some lyrical wallop (I wonder where you are / did you ever make it through / The desert was a curse / lying still in wait for you).
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