Album Notes

"Banana Phonetic’s influences span a half-century of music and thought. It’s a sound for people who love the crackle of vinyl, but also for those who can’t deny the convenience of an iPod. My Morning Jacket, Pavement, Wilco, and the Flaming Lips are all tweaked and tossed around, but so are the Beatles, Steely Dan, and the Talking Heads. Listen to the band’s debut EP The Western End and you’ll see how the Boston-based foursome molds their idols into something new. But see the band live, and you’ll get even more. Nothing is off limits (including trance jams and slap-funk instrumentals that could’ve been served as meat on Blood Sugar Sex Magik). Banana Phonetic has a batch of 20 or so originals, and the agility to take any form, whether it’s freak-pop, juiced-up folk, or straight-up rock ’n roll.

“Dance pop rock is how I’d describe it,” singer and keyboard player Akhil Bhatt says as he and drummer Andy Bickerton make their way to a Wilco concert. “There’s also some grunge in there, but definitely some groove-based elements as well.”

“Synchronous Orbit Achieved” could the best example of this diversity. Bhatt’s soothing, almost-liquid vocals get the slow burn rolling, which grows in intensity over Bickerton’s snare splashes and bassist Sam Doty’s bouncing lines. The tension builds, and you can feel a release on the horizon (you won’t be let down). “Wherever You Go,” a grittier, more serious number builds the same way, but explodes into a heavier, darker passage, while “Metronome,” echoes a My Morning Jacket-style breakdown with guitarist Tom Mangan soaking-up the mix with reverb and delay. Perhaps Banana Phonetic’s greatest asset is how it’s always building up and breaking down. It gives a sense of forward progress, constant movement, and there’s always a big pay off for those who stick around for the ride.

It’s a sound and a feeling that fits nicely into your day. Songs like “Keep it Real and “It Was a Drag,” make you think of sunny weekend afternoon. You can’t help but feel optimistic after hearing them. And this attitude becomes infectious, which stems from Bhatt’s honest delivery. He’s one of these people who always carries a notebook, constantly jotting down observations and ideas. The only way to create something relatable is to write about things that you yourself can relate to.

Consider it pop music if you like.

“I’d like to say we play pop music, but not in terms of what you’d hear in the mainstream. Pop doesn’t necessarily have to be bad,” Bhatt says.

He’s right. Pop music doesn’t have to be straightforward and instantly consumable. Just listen to the Flaming Lips for proof (the guys in Banana Phonetic do, a lot). Like the Flaming Lips, you can tell Banana Phonetic is making the music that they want to make, music that not only expresses how they feel and what they see, but music they’d want to listen to as well.

“The idea is that when something comes together so perfectly, then you’d like to hear it over and over again. That’s how we see pop music.”

With Banana Phonetic you are always getting something that feels familiar, but when you try to place it, the band takes you down a different path. No influence overstays its welcome. That’s because these guys have so much ground to cover.

It’s a fine balance, but Banana Phonetic is up for the task. "

- Jeff Wallace, mysecretboston.com