Gobotron, "On Your Mark, Get Set..." 02/27/2010
Doug Kaplan
✭✭✭✭
It’s no secret that I am most likely the single greatest and undisputed Manchester Orchestra fan that exists in this solar system. It is not uncommon to find me on Sunday mornings outside churches engaging in debates over why Moses is slightly less significant than 5’6” front man Andy Hull. So when I heard that the youngest member of the Atlanta-based band, 22-year-old Robert McDowell, was releasing a solo project, needless to say I became intrigued. I wondered if Andy’s cathedral vocals and life disrupting lyrics would rub off on his lead guitar player. They didn’t, not quite.
McDowell’s first solo attempt, On You Mark, Get Set…, was released earlier this month. It is an album that you would be hard pressed to find being promoted anywhere outside of the sparkly gates of Favorite Gentleman Record Label. McDowell’s band name, Gobotron, was evidently derived from various nicknames Andy and Chris Freeman have referred to McDowell by over the years.
The entire album was written and recorded in his parent’s house in Georgia. He is a true one-man band and every instrument is masterfully played by himself. The sound of the album is much different than that of Manchester Orchestra. It’s not quite straightforward pop, nor does it match up with some of the newer, heavier MO material. Instead, it sounds as if GirlTalk’s Greg Gillis took all the forerunners of the indie/alternative/rock scene (i.e. Ben Kweller, My Morning Jacket, Jack’s Mannequin) and asked them to fuse their sound together. Then, to top things off, Jeff Mangum got a hold of the album and added that beautifully distorted finishing touch, typical of Neutral Milk Hotel and early Mountain Goats. All these things I’ve been writing could sound negative. Does this album sound like Andy Hull had anything to do with it? No. Does it sound original, unique, or groundbreaking? No. But this album is amazing.
McDowell has surely hit a homerun with his first attempt. He has created 10 pop-oriented jingles that will capture your attention, and then your heart. He has a lot of good ideas all in one place. This is most likely due to the untraditional writing method used for this album. McDowell was quoted as saying that he started by writing little parts of songs, and then building hooks or verses around those parts. For this album, this technique absolutely worked.
Oddly enough the only song on this album I have nothing good to say about the opening track. For sake of convincing you to buy this album, because I promise it’s worth your money, I’m simply going to pretend the 49 second track, “Nothing”, doesn’t exist. So we begin at track two. “Nice Things”is sure to ring a bell with a wide audience, from fans of the Beach Boys to those of Weezer. It screams to be played. And it should be, because it’s great.
The third track, “I Don’t Forgive”, begins with a marching band-strumming rhythm. The lyrics are catchy, but confusing - I lost my will/while carrying your luggage/I don’t forgive. The best track on the album is track four. “Never Turn Around”is a song that features distinctive vocals producing a very classic, Beatles melody. I played the song on the weekly radio show that I DJ at school, and many people asked me whom the band was. I imagine Rob would be more than happy to hear that.
The song “Cobbler” begins, my fingertips are opening to being judge/with backwards lanes and English bars/and people tuning my guitar. It is a strange phenomenon for me to really have no idea what most of these songs are about. Lyrically they seem simplistic, but I find it challenging to get a grip on their meaning. That might be what makes this album so captivating. I feel as if there is a secret I am missing out on, and I keep listening in hope that it will come to me.
The last song on the album, “Gold”, is the only song which resembles something Andy might have written. That might be why I think it’s one of the best on the album. The title is an extremely accurate depiction of the medal that this album would receive this winter Olympic season. It’s an album absolutely worth hearing, and I cannot wait to see if MO will begin to play any of these songs live. Until then, I will wait for McDowell’s sophomore effort.
1. Nothing
2. Nice Things
3. I Don’t Forgive
4. Never Turn Around
5. Got It!
6. Cobbler
7. Empty
8. I Lied
9. Pull It Too
10. Gold
✭✭✭✭
It’s no secret that I am most likely the single greatest and undisputed Manchester Orchestra fan that exists in this solar system. It is not uncommon to find me on Sunday mornings outside churches engaging in debates over why Moses is slightly less significant than 5’6” front man Andy Hull. So when I heard that the youngest member of the Atlanta-based band, 22-year-old Robert McDowell, was releasing a solo project, needless to say I became intrigued. I wondered if Andy’s cathedral vocals and life disrupting lyrics would rub off on his lead guitar player. They didn’t, not quite.
McDowell’s first solo attempt, On You Mark, Get Set…, was released earlier this month. It is an album that you would be hard pressed to find being promoted anywhere outside of the sparkly gates of Favorite Gentleman Record Label. McDowell’s band name, Gobotron, was evidently derived from various nicknames Andy and Chris Freeman have referred to McDowell by over the years.
The entire album was written and recorded in his parent’s house in Georgia. He is a true one-man band and every instrument is masterfully played by himself. The sound of the album is much different than that of Manchester Orchestra. It’s not quite straightforward pop, nor does it match up with some of the newer, heavier MO material. Instead, it sounds as if GirlTalk’s Greg Gillis took all the forerunners of the indie/alternative/rock scene (i.e. Ben Kweller, My Morning Jacket, Jack’s Mannequin) and asked them to fuse their sound together. Then, to top things off, Jeff Mangum got a hold of the album and added that beautifully distorted finishing touch, typical of Neutral Milk Hotel and early Mountain Goats. All these things I’ve been writing could sound negative. Does this album sound like Andy Hull had anything to do with it? No. Does it sound original, unique, or groundbreaking? No. But this album is amazing.
McDowell has surely hit a homerun with his first attempt. He has created 10 pop-oriented jingles that will capture your attention, and then your heart. He has a lot of good ideas all in one place. This is most likely due to the untraditional writing method used for this album. McDowell was quoted as saying that he started by writing little parts of songs, and then building hooks or verses around those parts. For this album, this technique absolutely worked.
Oddly enough the only song on this album I have nothing good to say about the opening track. For sake of convincing you to buy this album, because I promise it’s worth your money, I’m simply going to pretend the 49 second track, “Nothing”, doesn’t exist. So we begin at track two. “Nice Things”is sure to ring a bell with a wide audience, from fans of the Beach Boys to those of Weezer. It screams to be played. And it should be, because it’s great.
The third track, “I Don’t Forgive”, begins with a marching band-strumming rhythm. The lyrics are catchy, but confusing - I lost my will/while carrying your luggage/I don’t forgive. The best track on the album is track four. “Never Turn Around”is a song that features distinctive vocals producing a very classic, Beatles melody. I played the song on the weekly radio show that I DJ at school, and many people asked me whom the band was. I imagine Rob would be more than happy to hear that.
The song “Cobbler” begins, my fingertips are opening to being judge/with backwards lanes and English bars/and people tuning my guitar. It is a strange phenomenon for me to really have no idea what most of these songs are about. Lyrically they seem simplistic, but I find it challenging to get a grip on their meaning. That might be what makes this album so captivating. I feel as if there is a secret I am missing out on, and I keep listening in hope that it will come to me.
The last song on the album, “Gold”, is the only song which resembles something Andy might have written. That might be why I think it’s one of the best on the album. The title is an extremely accurate depiction of the medal that this album would receive this winter Olympic season. It’s an album absolutely worth hearing, and I cannot wait to see if MO will begin to play any of these songs live. Until then, I will wait for McDowell’s sophomore effort.
1. Nothing
2. Nice Things
3. I Don’t Forgive
4. Never Turn Around
5. Got It!
6. Cobbler
7. Empty
8. I Lied
9. Pull It Too
10. Gold
