Demos

The Neerlymen - Demo

Dan Round 09/03/2007

Rating: 2/5

Like a drunken Jay Farrar tumbling off his bar seat set to Strokes riffs, Thee Neerly Men's first E.P. of demo recordings is packed full of power chords and humorous storytelling. Kicking off with the Weezer garage-pop of “Boomerang”, the band seem to be stacked full of energy with fire-fuelled guitars and a catchy, hum-able chorus.

However, tracks 2 and 3 just don't cut it. “Boozin' Days (Are Over)” is a mediocre attempt at Farrar's Tupelo; fully complete with dodgy, ambling lyrics about… well, booze. At the end of the song, with the “would you settle down/with a poor boy like me” refrain, the voice grates. “Good Lockin' Tonight” too, follows in the same vein giving the impression that the band are either writing a concept album on their favourite subject (alcoholic beverages, if you hadn't already sussed) or they are a novelty act. The song swaggers with sharp, bluesy hooks, raspy vocals taking off Julian Casablancas, and thumping drums. But it goes on, and on… and on. And then the same old lyrics from the first verse crop up again, with an almost inaudible vocal. What follows is a solo of the most predictable qualities.

Thee Neerly Men can create fun pop, albeit silly, but for the time being at least, steer clear. For the real deal, listen to everyone whose ideas they've knicked,although “Boomerang” is worth a good 4 minutes of your time.