Official press release
“The studio date was set. And the band was ready to record. To celebrate the glory of relationship. To witness the folly of control. To marvel at all creation. Rejoice!”
That brief monologue is the first thing you hear on Desmond Drive’s beautifully textured debut album, “I Called I,” and it’s delivered by – get this - a Greek chorus. Granted, the people reciting the lines are from the Atlanta area. They’re not even from Athens, GA. But Bill Shaouy, the force behind Desmond Drive, is good at grabbing your attention. When the album’s opening track, “Two Headed Beast,” kicks into gear, your attention is grabbed for entirely different, highly musical reasons. This guy can write a tune.
The melodic pop of XTC and the Beatles lies at the heart of Desmond Drive’s sound. But Shaouy wears more influences than that on his sonic sleeve. He and his gifted producer, Rob Gal, construct densely-layered soundscapes that reveal deep strains of pop fandom. Like all great hooks, these sparkling little marvels feel familiar and utterly unique at the same time. “Quirky” is an over-used word, but Desmond Drive is quirky in an especially entertaining way. You hum the quirks rather than knitting your brow over them, and they quickly begin to make perfect sense.
Alert listeners will note, for instance, that the opening riff of “Two Headed Beast” is a dead-ringer for “Tunnel of Love”-era Bruce Springsteen. But Shaouy’s vocal soon soars above the strumming guitars and rolling organ line, to reach a place that couldn’t be any further removed from the Boss’ turf. That’s the basic m.o. for “I Called I.” You never know where you’re going, and it’s an often exhilarating adventure getting there.
Shaouy’s musical invention is ably supported by Gal on guitars, Steve Platnick on bass, and Chuck Kelly on drums, and they must have had a ball doing it. More often than not, the songs began with basic instrumental tracks. Then Shaouy worked with Gal in the studio, to open up the tunes, layer by layer.
Shaouy notes that XTC’s albums of the late 80s and early 90s had particular sway over “I Called I”'s sound. Much of the song construction has the earmarks of classic XTC. Note that “Isn’t It a Wonder” features the kind of call-and-answer melodies reminiscent of XTC’s “The Loving.” And the bass line on “Simple Things,” though initially seeming pleasantly McCartney-esque, is better pegged as a ringer for XTC bass player Colin Moulding’s melodious work. Then again, there are piano fills throughout “I Called I” that obviously owe a debt to Steve Nieve of the Attractions, so the equation is really more complex than that.
The unifying element of all these influences is a pop sensibility that wanders a degree or two outside the mainstream, and that’s what makes “I Called I” such a delight to experience. Shaouy dazzles as he dances away from you, and you can’t resist following him.
(Nov 7, 2007)