Greeting Committee, The / This Is It Label: Harvest Records

Reviewed: 1/17/2019

DJ Stace

The debut album from Kansas City high-school rockers The Greeting Committee sounds like a polished, well-written follow up album. Mature and well-orchestrated, with Addie Sardino's confident and soulful vocals leading infectious indie-pop of the type you might expect from veterans like Spoon. Big band accompaniments with brass and R&B backups as well as great toe-tapping songs make this a fantastic listen.

FCCs: Track 9 "Pissed away your life..." for those on the cautious side?

RIYL: Alabama Shakes, Spoon, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, The Strokes

Play: Anything; Favorites: 2,2,2,1,9(see FCC note),7,12 did I mention track 2?

1. Is This It? 2:47 ** - Short, krauty Sax-riffs with staccato drum rhythm starts this one off. Mid-tempo. Addie's vocals in full ethereal power on the chorus.

2. Pull It Together 3:39 ***** - See all those stars? It's almost a shame this album wasn't released during the summer, as this is one of those perfect summer hits that just takes over and catapults a band into stardom. Just play it. Trust me, you'll be hooked from the first notes of the Samba-like piano riff that holds together this mid-tempo, booty-shaking, feel-good perfect pop song. I dare you to be still while it's playing.

3. Some Kind of Love 3:11 ** - Light and airy, with piano trills and hand-claps. Lovely mid-tempo tune that skips along underneath her breathy vocals. Love the trumpet solo.

4. You've Got Me 3:39 *** - Starts off with full brass, like a great Sharon Jones joint you never heard before. More great vocalization from the 19 year old who is going to blow people away over the next few years. Great, classic R&B backup singers close it out, too.

5. 17 3:39 *** - The single. Bouncy, confident, brash, in your face. Just like a 17 year old. Apparently about cross legal lines love affairs? Great tune with a great refrain.

6. More 3:40 - Smokey, piano bar beginning, gives way to midtempo, emphatic pop-rock anthem. Soaring chorus vocals again highlight the real strength of this band's sound.

7. Run for Your Money 3:02 *** - Another bouncey, uptempo light pop-rocker. Great chorus and refrains.

8. Gold Star 2:13 - Midtempo, guitar reminds me a little of bossa nova in it's tone. Lamenting without dragging.

9. Flint 3:48 - (FCC alarmists, note: "pissed away your whole life...")

10. Odds of Forever 3:41 - Cool guitar effect at the beginning that makes me think of another song I can't think of the name of, now. Uptempo, simple, bright, bouncy. With strings.

11. Birthday Song 3:08 *** - Great, acoustic, quiet, heartbreaking. About a shitty 8th birthday party and beyond, where the parents are breaking up and the kid knows something is wrong and noone talks about it. Then life after. Poignant, lovely.

12. Don't Go 4:06 *** - A final, uptempo, bouncing, perfect pop-rocker with strumming guitars and a rock solid rhythm. Another of their singles, I think.