Bloodthirsty Lovers - The Conversation

So it's my first post on Scenestars. Of course, I wanted to write something brilliant; I wanted to dazzle you and make my public love me. I agonized. "Stage fright," they said.

Then reality (in the form of Rachel and EJ) set in and I realized that you, if you're like me, will probably merely scan the text and go straight for the goods--the downloads.

So there, Bloodthirsty Lovers. Listen to it, love it, hate it, whatever. I mean, it is good stuff, right? I saw these guys for the first time last night and I can say with total confidence that Dave Shouse is a genius of classic (IE; 1980's) proportions, Memphis garage rock style. With a pedigree including The Grifters and Those Bastard Souls, his latest project is pretty much what you would expect. A little more grown up, a little more polished, perhaps tighter, more melodic. Still appealing to the same crowd that enjoyed Dave in all of his other incarnations, though they seem to appeal to a wider and younger audience as well. (Or perhaps it's just the hipster preoccupation with all things "retro".) These are the kinds of songs you hear and get confused. You think "Wait, hasn't this been one of my favorite songs since, like, I dunno, 1987?"

Maybe they pretty much are, I really wouldn't know.

Dave's still a rock star with a truly emotive vocal presence; these days he works the mic, and the hair style, a little like Mick Jagger, except if Mick Jagger sounded more like Gary Newman. Throwing Steve Selvidge in on guitar was obviously a good move. He's got a drummer he played with in Those Bastard Souls who has also played with Guided by Voices and The Dambuilders--this guy, Kevin March, he stepped on my toes at the show last night, literally, but I forgave him and we moved on.

So, I'll wrap this up with a summation: This is the sort of stuff you listen to when you're barely listening. It doesn't work itself so far into your gray matter that you can't focus on other things. Consequently, it's pleasant, you hum along and it puts you in a good mood, but unless it shows up frequently in the shuffle on your iPod, you'll probably forget to listen to it again. That's just how it is.

Anyway, catch these guys at a dive near you soon, they're in the thick of an east coast tour playing off their January release, The Delicate Seam. Dates are here. Listen to more of the album here.

BONUS TRACK: Medicated (featuring Katie Eastburn)