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T & The Wonder

T & The Wonder

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Customer Reviews

Indielicious, Preptastic & Lyrically Brilliant

This quirky duo's catchy, beach-like melodies and witty tongue-in cheek lyricism is refreshing and reminiscent of the modern legacy established by musicians like ezra koenig and stephen merritt. This hybrid genre seems to combine indie pop song structures with light, beachy rhythms and a variety of percussive and string instruments, which I would compare to music by bands like Broken Social Scene.

I have to say I'm very impressed with these musicians for exploring such a fresh new genre of indie pop that seems to be expanding exponentially- an example in particular would be the recent triumph of the band Vampire Weekend's new album Contra. I really think that this generation of music and musicians are expanding modern indie pop at such a rate, soon to take center stage in the music world.

Again, I think that T & The Wonder shows high promise for this new genre, and their ecclectic influences and creative use of experimental elements should gain them a good response from their audience.

Indie pop goes to a small beach

The Chicago duo named after artillery boats have landed on the beach to bask in the summer days, summer nights that were in the minds (but not souls) of musicians who only cherished the athletic aspects of the particular season. Over-flowing with songs captivated by the great feeling of when one’s barefoot digs into the sand on a hot day, it is an album that works best aesthetically with summer, but it’s relevant in all temperatures.

“Eighty-Six” - The electric tropical nature of the album is introduced with this catchy portrait of what lays ahead and of what images remain prevalent in T & The Wonder’s lyrical palette - “Two boys in Bahama shirts that want to make time for the beach.” The two boys in this song blend their harmonies best here, along with an inviting “Oh” refrain that stands as summer’s calling.

“Let’s Go” - The frivolity of influence Ween is captured without losing proper maturity with “Let’s Go,” an excited ode to the beginning of summer. (As Balkin says, in the first line “School is out!”) A set of well-arranged supporting strings heard in the chorus add a sweetness to the key lyrical phrase “Don’t leave my island,” which is repeated later in an album high-point that stands also as a great example of the pleasant harmonics the duo can achieve with little difficulty.

“Reiterate” – It may not be the strongest song on the album, but it is an example where the writing in the pre-chorus and bridge can overshadow those of the chorus and the verse (this may be because the progression heard in the chorus/verse does not have the same amount of freshness). The chorus is most striking when repeated in a semi-hip hop fashion towards the end of the song, even though it takes an unforgivably dinky bass “solo” to get there. More directly indie-pop than other songs on this CD, it has catchy moments but is not as distinguished as other parts of this compilation.

“Navy Blue” – This is a slightly special take on the ¾ waltz timing, and is assisted by a sprightly vocal performance from Balkin. Like a good waltz needs, Balkin adds some soul to his lyrics, but the instrumental bridge doesn’t take the song to any unique level (but I agree, there should be more whistling in music as a whole). Instead, it feels like an obligatory closing, something that takes away from the overall impact. A song that once began inspired ends … a bit indifferent.

“Pettaquamscutt, Narrangansett” - To confirm that their beach mentality is in the more delicate shores of the Atlantic, and that their witching hour is not surf-time but a sunset, T & The Wonder transport its audience to the mouthful location of “Pettaquamscutt, Narragansett." It’s likely a nice present for those who do not need the words of T & The Wonder to imagine such a locale, but the song is also in high jeopardy of being mistranslated by the young and corny crowd who think Jack Johnson is only the name of a guitarist who doesn’t wear shoes. This probably would have made a better album closer, a fitting reprise to the entire experience of the album, and a roundabout way of repeating T & The Wonder’s unique focus on the often forgotten art of the coda.

“Lost Pages” - Possibly the most welcoming song on the album is “Lost Pages,” a delicate galloping tune with light strumming guitars that echo the album’s closest attempt at doing anything country. At times, the airy nature of McCormack’s delicate vocals can swallow up some of the lyrics, but in the same way his voice, along with the chorus melody, becomes a pillow you want to rest your head on. Long distance relationships, prepare to add a new song to your iTunes playlist.

“Tote Bag” - A bouncy, Raffi-goes-to-the-Caribbean-but-left-the-marimbas-in-his-dungeon song like “Tote Bag” can be disregarded if one doesn’t catch on the hooky chorus, which is bound to fester in your memory banks like “Banana Phone” did when you were younger. But “Tote Bag’s” youthfulness is not a flaw. It is a unique track, and more importantly, quite fun.

“No Waves” – This is a rare song that can take the almost cliché Maj to Maj7 progression and toy with it with especially warming results (a simple quarterly bass drum keeps the song’s heart beating). The power in this track is in its simplicity, which can be felt in the grade-A melodic pop chorus that also has one of the best lyrical lines in the entire album – “You think you make no waves when you hit the pool.” It might have an instrumentation possibly too simple for its own good (it could use a bit more piano). But it is the confident work of musicians who can create an incredibly solid musical foundation, and then let that core speak for itself.

“Goodbye For Now” - The haunting “Goodbye For Now” is a completely naked song with barebones arrangement. But with McCormack’s spare guitar strums and ghostly melody, that’s all this song needs to maintain the gripping nature felt by the other highpoints of this album.

“G.P.G.P” - This is only a flawed tune in that it cuts itself too short. After the winter break of “No Waves” and “Goodbye For Now”, “G.P.G.P” re-introduces the sunlight heard earlier on the album, this time with more energy, but quits about two minutes in. Whether it’s the victim of faulty tracklisting, or perhaps the budget was sucked up from all of the layers on “Lost Pages,” this one is an odd-man-out, despite its efforts to fit in with the rest of the thought-out tracks on this album.

This is an album for those who stand on the line of maturity, and awkwardly shuffle around that mark by wearing their dad’s boat shoes - the ones who have found the serenity of the beach to mean something more than just a pleasing image that fits on American Eagle t-shirts. "T & The Wonder" is a cozy spot for those with an ear for pop and a mind constantly looking to dip into a fresh new sea of talent. This first album from the promising duo is very successful in doubling what makes the best part of summer so great – its debut.

We Got Bigger Lakes To Swim

The album starts out with a bang: a marching-beat and an army of acoustic guitars invite you to a vacation on the coast. The real treat comes when the two singers (Tavis Balkin and Patrick McCormack) work together to form effortless harmonies and bounce off of eachother to send the chorus of "Eighty Six" into the upper echelon of your concious for weeks. This album comes as a real suprise, especially after contexualizing it with their debut, a comedy hip-hop album called "Throw Your Money At Us" in which the duo simply mocked other kids at their high-school over beats Mike Skinner could easily call home. Since their school days in Vermont, the duo has grown up. With all of the teamwork throughout the album, the two occasionally wander off for their own vocal duties for a couple album highlights. Their new home of Chicago is felt in the lush chorus of McCormack's "Lost Pages" (which has enough guitars to make any fan of jangle-pop satisfied.) Though perhaps the strongest vocal performance is Balkin's heavily layered "Navy Blue", which wouldn't feel out of place in a 1950's prom (it even has a whistling solo!). This is a suprisingly fresh take on indie-pop from the young duo (McCormack isn't even of drinking-age yet!) There isn't a bad song on the album, and I highly recommend it to fans of a wide variety of indie-rock. See you on the beach, boys!

Top Albums and Songs By T & The Wonder

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T & The Wonder, T & The Wonder
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  • $9.99
  • Genres: Rock, Music
  • Released: May 10, 2010
  • ℗ 2010 T & The Wonder

Customer Ratings

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