Poor But Sexy – Let’s Move In Together
(self released)
February 15, 2011

What It Sounds Like:  Ex-Dismemberment Plan guitarist and new band get groovy on their debut record, with a fantastic mash of funk, soul, R&B, and rockin’ bass-heavy riff jams.  Even slow jams!  RIYL: Minus The Bear.

Jason Caddell played guitar for one of Washington D.C.’s greatest indie rock acts in the later half of the 1990s, The Dismemberment Plan.  You can hear the influence in some of the funk and left-of-the-center riffage that we get off of Poor But Sexy’s debut record, but it’s nothing like the jagged indie rock and slight-hardcore experimentation that we knew from TDP, especially in their earlier work.  But this record – is a blast.  It’s catchy, it’s funky, and while it isn’t a dance record, anyone that has a sense of melody is gonna get out of their chair and get down to this.  It’s sexy and fun without taking itself too seriously; there’s no doubt about it.

A good record to have playing in the background while you’re flirting with…that girl?

Check.

How about when the playful (yes, playful!) making out starts?

Keep this turned up.

Reckless foreplay?

Geez, listen to me already.  You better freaking believe it.

This is kissing, laughing, smiling, rolling-in-the-sheets about to lose your mind music.  Could life really get better than this moment right now?

You had me feeling sheepish
Thinking that your skirt was too short 
Watching me averting my eyes 
You had me contemplating 
Scratchy tweed and those velvet lies 

You said, “Let’s keep it light” 
“Just some heavy petting and then ‘Honey good night'”
I would have settled for a kiss, just simple and shy
But you had something else in mind…

So sings Jason on the Minus The Bear/Foals-sound-alike funk jam of Hotter Than A PopTart.  What a great title!  You know how that PopTart feels when it jumps out of the toaster; I know you do.  You go to pick that thing up and…GEEZ, that thing is friggin HOT!  The B3 organ hits come in near the end while some female backups encourage us to feel alright, and I gotta admit – you’re crazy if you’re not movin’ to this by now.

The lyrics are full of catchy one-liners and unique narratives.  And these church folks / They’ve got one thing right / They go to the same house every night / Let’s get down and make a mess / Let’s live at the same address is from, you guessed it, the title track, with its bluesy and sloppy guitar work tying it all together.

How about…

I just want to be twenty again and dancing alone in a disco in Hamburg 
I want to light skinny little cigarettes for improbable girls in impossible outfits

Quality.

The bass is killer on this record.  So many unique funky riffs.  The keyboard effects and synths are used just enough to add a wonderful layer of complexity to these songs.  They’re not overdone or used on every single chorus like so many bands try to rely on.  There’s influence from 70s funk and 80s pop all over this thing – and it excels.

I have to admit, this record was a complete random discovery.  I found it for a dime (yes, ten cents!) in an old used-disc bin at a record store.  The front had a sticker starting that the singer was from The Dismemberment Plan, and that was enough of a reason for me to give it a shot.  I’m so happy that I did – this out-of-left-field release is certainly one of the most unique, catchy things that I’ve heard recently.  I don’t know exactly what may or may not come to your mind if I said this is a record to “get down” to – I’m not even sure that I know what I mean by that!  But all the same, you can get down to this record.

Make sure not to miss the album closer Dong Pills.  Yes, yes, I know – who in the world is this, The Bloodhound Gang or something?  How can I take this seriously?  Just relax already and listen to this funky rhythm – you’ll be hooked.  Now, as far as pills are concerned, this ain’t about no illegal drug; far from it.  It’s actually the most catchy, fun song that you will ever hear about, er, that…pill.  That one that older dudes may need to take to um, help ’em out…in the bedroom.  No lie.  It’s fantastic.  How you gonna hate when you’re hearing lines like Pharmaceuticals / Rock the booty pills / It’s a thing that lovers do when it’s serious.

From the straight early 90s indie of Like A Hunger, to the Jazzy funk electronic bird-tweets (you’ll understand when you hear it) of Fool Runnin’, to the slow jam of Confession, to the “throw your caution to the wind” of Cherry Delicious..

There’s just too much goodness here to name.

9/10

If you had to listen to two tracks:  Hotter Than A PopTart / Like A Hunger