On their third studio album, the independently produced Grrr…, the Ivy League duo Bishop Allen combines sparse instrumentation, simple rhythms and playful lyrics for one delightful listen.
Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Bishop Allen is playful and whimsical. Friends and musicians often join the band’s core members, Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, both onstage and in the studio. However, Rice and Rudder are clearly talented musicians themselves, recording several different instruments themselves on each album.
Since 2003, the Harvard grads have recorded and released three studio albums and 12 EPs. Yes, 12. In true Ivy League fashion, the ambitious duo recorded and released a new EP every month in 2006. The band has received praise from critics and achieved commercial success as well. Their single, “Click, Click, Click, Click,” was featured in a Sony advertisement, and you might recognize them from the 2008 film “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”
Bishop Allen’s newest album, Grrr…, opens with plucky guitars on “Dimmer,” followed by the equally perky “The Lion and the Teacup.” “Dirt on Your New Shoes,” a slightly more progressive track, sounds like it could have been recorded in a dorm room. The song also features a xylophone, which makes several appearances on the album. The xylophone may seem like a curious choice, but it is probably used to hide the fact neither Rice nor Rudder plays the drums. Indeed, throughout the album, the two often sound as if they are playing with toys rather than actual instruments.
The album’s highlights include “The Ancient Commonsense of Things” and “True or False,” a quirky love song with a wandering melody that adds female vocals, brass instruments and a country twang to the mix, along with, of course, the xylophone.
The last few tracks are slightly more melancholy — like the eerie-sounding “Magpie,” which incorporates funhouse noises — but just as whimsical and frivolous. On “Cue the Elephants,” for example, Rice sings, “the morning belongs to the grapefruit…the skyline is made of the umbrella pie.” And although it is not acoustic, Grrr… definitely has an unplugged feel.
Ultimately, these songs are simple and fun. However, Grrr… will not blow listeners away or get them on their feet; it might warrant a head bob but not a shimmy or shake. It’s also clear that creativity comes in bursts for this band: Only a few songs exceed three minutes, and the entire endeavor is just 35 minutes long.
For the most part, Grrr… is composed of silly and light-hearted musings about life and love. The album is smart and quirky, but you’ve probably heard most of it before. Bishop Allen is no Vampire Weekend, but fans of indie pop will bob their heads and clap their hands to Grrr… nonetheless.
3 1/2 stars out of 5
