Out Hud - S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.
There's a certain energy which follows a band who has spent their formative years playing in live settings. They have a tightness to their sound almost like a layer of connective tissue which binds them all together. Their sound flexes and shifts and has, overall, a more effortless texture to it. Out Hud's S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is their first full-length record, after a number of singles and innumerable live shows. Released nearly two years after their relocation to Sacramento, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. captures the band's vibrant energy and imprints it neatly on a platter that you can take with you. It's your very own portable rump-shaking house band.
Spun across six tracks, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is what you would hear in a retro-futuristic western-themed saloon. The instrumentation is a couple of guitars, a violin, a rhythm section, and a beat box or two for good measure, and they all work together in an acid house spaghetti western sort of fashion. "This Bum's Paid" spools out like a Scenic track, reconfigured for the dance floor, but not at such a hurried pace that you would spill your drink. "Hair Dude, You're Stepping On My Mystique" is a back-room collision between the desert melancholy of Friends of Dean Martinez and the machine precision of Buddy Rich.
"The L Train Is A Swell Train and I Don't Want To Hear You Indies Complain" is not only the longest song title on the record, it is also the longest track, taking up nearly a quarter of the record. Fortunately the music is not deterred by its awkward name or nor its gravid responsibility of anchoring the album. Casually swinging back and forth in its emphasis between the melodies of the guitars and the strong pull of the bass, "The L Train Is A Swell Train and I Don't Want To Hear You Indies Complain" has a solid groove running through it, masking the annoying length of the track's title.
S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. winds up with "My Two Nads (Dad Reprise)," finishing out the record with just as much tongue firmly inserted in cheek as it began. It's great to hear Kranky move away from their more abstract and reflective output to something more rump-shaking. And, if Out Hud is the type of material they're looking to offer, then I say, "Bring it on." S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is a far-ranging, free-wheelin' groove session.
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