As Georgie James ships off on European Travels tomorrow, we take a sneak peek at their full-length extra-super-highly-anticipated debut “Places” (which releases September 25th) and see what all the buzz is about.
Rating system
0 stars – Complete and utter garbage
1 star – Best just not to ever press play, save your ears for another day
2 stars – Not completely atrocious, but one you’ll probably forget about as soon as it’s over
3 stars – Good, but not great, likely with some excellent songs and others you’ll skip right through
4 stars – Damn good album, one you’ll definitely want to enjoy again and again
5 stars – Instant Classic
Georgie James-Places
3 stars
Georgie James could’ve been one of the greatest local bands that D.C. has ever seen had they been satisfied to release their debut on a local label, but they knew something special was brewing and spent much of the last year touring the country playing showcases like South by Southwest in the hopes of spreading the name Georgie James nationwide. Well, it worked. The band signed to Omaha-based Saddle Creek Records (home of Bright Eyes, The Faint, Cursive, etc.), and the pre-release buzz for the debut album, Places, has been deafening.
For those not in the know, Georgie James is ex-Q and Not U drummer John Davis, who sings and plays guitar, bass and drums, and singer/songwriter Laura Burhenn who also sings and plays keyboards. The first thing you’ll notice on Places is that the band sounds absolutely nothing like Davis’ former band. Georgie James is rooted in 60s and 70s pop music and their male/female vocal dynamic gives them a sound not unlike The New Pornographers.
The album opens with a spectacular succession of songs. “Look Me Up” kicks it off with Davis singing over an infectious guitar riff and before he’s joined by Burhenn’s harmonizing vocals in the chorus. The song, like many others on Places, features excellent drums and bass, which is a nice perk of having a former drummer as your lead singer. The ultra-tight rhythm section is Georgie James’ secret weapon and helps set them apart from their peers. Next up, “Cake Parade,” a brilliant bouncy pop song, opens with Laura’s sultry vocals over a Wurlitzer before she’s joined by the rest of the band. Davis and Burhenn continue to trade off vocal duties as the album continues, with Davis taking the ultra-catchy first single “Need Your Needs” while Burhenn helms the slower, but no-less-fantastic “Long Week.” It all seems to build to the album’s centerpiece, “More Lights” which finds John and Laura trading off verses around an explosive chorus.
Unfortunately, after the album’s first five songs, the rest of Places just can’t keep up. The songs on the album’s second half are a little more low-key and there aren’t nearly as many hooks that grab you and force you to bob your head along. Only the driving “Cheap Champagne” stands out and matches the power that the album began with. Overall, though, it’s still a pretty solid debut and the best songs here show that Burhenn and Davis can write some fantastically catchy tunes. It gives me hope that next time around they can put together a full album’s worth of great songs instead of just half of one.
want more:
download “Need Your Needs” here
download “Cake Parade” here
There’s more to DC than Georgie James and Laura Burhenn.
September 11, 2007 at 5:26 pm