The recent release of Tally Hall's first official album entitled Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum has proven the band is here and here to stay. The group has five members: Ross, Joe, Rob, Andrew and Zubin. Four of these guys grew up near Detroit, as well as near the historical arcade and curiosity museum, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, the only remaining part of the mini-mall/food court called Tally Hall. These places clearly hold places in these guys' hearts considering their use in their name, album title and the song "Welcome to Tally Hall."

If the members' biographies are any indication of their personalities, the uniqueness of their music does not come as much of a surprise. Written with the familiar quirkiness of their songs, if interested in finding out more about the artists, their bios are worth checking out on their website, www.tallyhall.com. More importantly, as far as musicianship goes, Tally Hall has it all: percussion, guitar, keyboard and distinctive, harmonic vocals.

Tally Hall is described on their website as "a wonky rock band." How characteristic of this unique band to use a term which itself requires a definition. Actually a slang word, wonky "specifically connotes a malfunction that produces behavior (or in Tally Hall's case, music) seen as unusual, humorous or amusingly diverse." Wonky is a truly fitting declaration of the group's intent and ability to stand out amid other up-and-coming bands.

This young and talented group of musicians is paving the way for a new and funky sub-genre of rock. This new direction includes amazing and, at times, complex harmonies, outlandish lyrics and a collage of musical styles and instrumentalism.

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum includes a number of demo songs that have been rerecorded, and for a first album, the number of tracks (15) is impressive. Also pleasing is the fact that the album does not lose its momentum as it goes along. Their music carries a number of attractive qualities that are consistent throughout. Their significant incorporation of keyboard into their songs along with the usual guitar and drums shows that these young artists have a strong grasp of composition and arrangement as well as writing and musicianship.

As far as the writing goes, the group capitalizes on the sometimes caustic, sometimes satirical humor and always humor that is both unconventional and satirical. One song is written (in devotion?) to the Olsen Twins. However, not every song is meant to be a joke. The album does include a couple more ballad-like songs with softer, more serious lyrics.

The songs not only vary in subject matter but also in their style and arrangement. Some are a mesh of sounds, including non-singing and some very fast Barenaked Ladies style chanting. The guys' range also gives them chances for great harmony pieces, and though it is hard to determine where the band's inspiration comes from, they exhibit some similarities with the Beatles. This can be noted both in their harmonies as well as the sound and arrangement of some of the Beatles' more unusual songs, particularly on the Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanic Museum is a regular montage of influences that include country, alternative, punk, pop, buffet style and others as well, thus indicating the reason for a new category of music. This assortment of style makes Tally Hall's music appeal to a very wide and audience; teenagers rave about it to their parents, who in turn recommend it to their friends. By word of mouth alone, Tally Hall's reputation and popularity continue to increase. As long as they can continue to produce fresh and exotic music, the future looks bright for Tally Hall's crew.

For those interested in checking out Tally Hall, they will appear at The Annex in Madison every Sunday in April at 7 p.m. as part of their rotating tour of the Midwest. Ages 18 and up are welcome.

Rating: 4 out of 5