Published on Sep 24, 2000
Papas Fritas is an indie rock band hailing from Boston. They
derive their name from the Spanish term for fried potatoes. And if
that seems like a weird name to give a band, it is actually a play
on words. Their publishing company is called Pop Has Freed Us. Get
it? And it is that kind of cleverness that distinguishes their new
CD,
Buildings And Grounds, from the rest of the indie rock
pack.
The music on
Buildings And Grounds ranges from quirky (but always catchy)
pop ditties to mellow and reflective ballads. The mood of the song
often depends on who sang and wrote the song. Guitarist Tony
Goddess’ songs lean more toward the former, while drummer Shivika
Asthana’s songs are more of the latter. Like the Beatles Lennon and
McCartney, the differences in approach and attitude make for an
interesting team.
However, that said, also like Lennon and McCartney, they do not
always follow such stereotypes. For starters, Goddess starts the CD
with the ballad “Girl” (not the Beatles song). His plaintiff vocal
and gentle acoustic guitar playing are as tender as it gets. It’s
an odd song to start the CD but it works.
Asthana pipes in on the second song, “People Say”. Since Papas
Fritas has both male and female lead vocalists, people are bound to
think of Fleetwood Mac, and this song does recall a typical late
period Christine McVie midtempo ballad. The song has a very breezy
arrangement which is impressive as this CD is a self-produced
effort.
The third song “Way You Walk” sounds like a slightly jazzier
rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” with Goddess and
Asthana’s singing a conversation about whether she is faithful to
him. This clever song has a great beat and probably would have been
a hit in the mid-80’s. The smooth jazz side of Papas Fritas appears
occasionally on
Buildings And Grounds. The mellow sounds of “Far From An
Answer” and “I Believe In Fate” would not be out of place on a
smooth jazz station.
However, not all of Papas Fritas’ songs are as radio ready.
“Questions” sounds like something from the 60’s pop band, the
Association, but as cute as a button as this song sounds, the
lyrics are quite the opposite with lyrics like “Got bit in the ass
by a tiger in the zoo/ and when you got home you just passed out in
the kitchen.”
If the rest of the songs are not as weird as that one, they have
their quirks. There’s the Squeeze-influenced story song “Another
Day”, with an interesting kinetic keyboard/percussion backing that
moves the song along nicely. In a more rock vein, albeit a slightly
off-center new wave rock vein, is “What Am I Supposed To Do?”.
These two songs certainly are a highlight on
Buildings And Grounds.
Bassist Keith Gendel contributes the jaunty and strange
singalong “Vertical Lives” which I dare you to try not to sing
along to it. There are nice, clever lyrics on this one. Rounding
out the set, the remainder of Asthana’s songs are more
straightforward but nice andpoppy. “Beside You” and “I’ll Be Gone”
are solid melodic songs not unlike a cross between Lesley Gore and
the Bangles.
It is the last song on
Builidings And Grounds that really resonates. The
country-tinged “Lost In A Dream”. Papas Fritas surprisingly
understand the emotional tug needed for country while writing a
song that is completely original. The song is about someone who
thinks he has lost everything, but his wife/mate wakes him up to
tell him it’s only a dream and everything is all right. I love CD’s
that have a happy ending.
Indie rock CDs, like low budget movies, are very hit and miss,
but when they do hit, it’s out of the park. Papas Fritas’
Buildings And Grounds is that kind of a hit. It might take a
few listens to really enjoy the pleasures, but doing so will make
you appreciate that this band has a strong foundation.