Die Alone [LP] in Bloomington, MN

Hailing from Seattle,
Gazebos
(no articles, please!) are a punk-pop band whose punk side is more a matter of smarts and attitude than the ferocity of their attack. In fact, on much of their debut album, 2016's
Die Alone
,
sound like they could have been a lost New Wave band from the late '70s, complete with purposefully quirky lyrics, playfully angular melodies, artfully spare guitar licks with plenty of phase shifting for seasoning, and a lead singer slightly less affected than
Lene Lovich
or
Cyndi Lauper
, but with no shortage of vocal tricks in her repertoire. (Heck, "Boys I Like" even sounds like it could have been a hit for
the Waitresses
if they'd been able to hear it through a wrinkle in time.) Like many of their skinny-tie-wearing brethren of decades past,
seem to be concerned with cleverness as much as music on
, and there's no denying this foursome has worked out their songs and style with great care.
TV Coahran
's less-is-more guitar style, drippy synth patches, and melodic approach to songwriting give the music a certain lean sophistication,
Shane Herrell
and
Jordan T. Adams
are a stalwart rhythm section, and
Shannon Perry
's lead vocals are executed with smarts and a genuine wit. And they upend expectations by playing their cover from
Grease
("There Are Worse Things I Could Do") pretty much straight and without a trace of irony. Fellow Seattle scene veteran
Kurt Bloch
gets
' performances on plastic with uncluttered accuracy, and
puts a new spin on some vintage style. ~ Mark Deming