Simonsomething
Televisionary (2002)

review by: Stephan Finch
Date: 11/25/02

Just a Barenaked Ladies knock-off? Or something more?

There must be something wrong with my mailslot. For as long as I can recall, every indie-released compact disc that's ever arrived through it has been a terrible disappointment. Now all of a sudden I can't go wrong. Last month, it was The Color Turning. This month, I'm getting down with a quintet called Simonsomething. This is even better.

I hope these guys don't mind if I call this nerd-rock. I mean it in the best possible way. Think along the lines of XTC, They Might Be Giants, and Barenaked Ladies. Simonsomething shares those bands' fondness for tightly-structured rock ditties that wrap up in less than three minutes and focus on unusual issues like television punditry, conversation-heavy dates, or Connie Chung's interviewing techniques.

Most of this is owed to Shane Cook, one of two guitarists in the band and the most prolific songwriter. Cook professes to have no hometown, having grown up in the military, but apparently spends a good amount of time in Denny's drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. Most of his songs probably couldn't have been written without the heavy influence of caffeine. And he's gotten very lucky in meeting the other four fellows in the band willing to get behind his vision.

This album is full-length and it must have cost a mint to professionally record it at Rainstorm Studios in Seattle. Absolutely no sign of grunge here, but like I said, there's an awful lot of talent. In particular, Simonsomething's lead singer, Adin Hess, has a fantastic, slightly smokey voice that reminds me a little of the English Beat's Dave Wakeling. He gets wonderful backup from the other gents in the band, it really does remind me of XTC's glory days. The best example of this is a song called "Track Twelve," a mid-tempo charmer that's actually track four on the disc.

Something I've always appreciated about the Barenaked Ladies and that also seems to hold true for Simonsomething is the sense that these guys have a great time playing together and want to draw in their audience to the fun. The vocals are carefully balanced so you can hear what Hess is singing about. It's delightful. The key question Cook and his mates will face in the years to come is this: Can a band that's witty and fun and musical also create songs that touch listeners' deeper emotions? I think the great nerd bands of the past have all struggled with this. After an album or two, the witty observations become a bit stale and you're resigned to the bargain bin with Devo and Ween.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Heck, I hope they come to Chicago. Would love to meet Cook and find out what his favorite Denny's dish is. Which one inspired him to write, for example, "Murder of Crows"? Not the chicken strips, I hope.

Until then, I'm praying the next disc that drops through my mailslot is as good as the one Simonsomething sent me.