Piano-based rhythms, sugar-coated pop hooks and Beach Boys-esque harmonies aren’t things you’d expect to hear from the Hopeless/Sub City roster, the labels that launched the successful careers of such punk greats as Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold. But Sub City’s latest signing, Orange County-based MELEE, incorporates these aforementioned elements to formulate an album rich with songs that merge the indie-rock sound with pop sensibilities that will strike a chord with not only the Hopeless/Sub City punk-based crowd, but will also extend outwards to fans of Rooney, Maroon 5 and Michelle Branch.
Take one spin of the band’s debut album, Everyday Behavior, and you’ll instantly take notice: the ivory-tickled "The Curse" has far more in common with Billy Joel's pop sensibilities than Benji and Joel’s (Madden, that is) pop-punk, while the 6/8 ballad of "Sleeping Through Autumn" sports powerful vocal delivery cast against fluid, mature arrangements. Of course, it’s impossible to miss the explosive lead track, "Got It All," which eagerly rockets the disc into a fierce frenzy, paying subtle homage to esteemed classics like The Police.
The members of MELEE launched their group at the tail end of 1999 still while in their teens, steadily performing throughout their locales of Orange County with a decidedly power-pop slant to their material. It didn't take very long for listeners to catch on. Within a blazing year, the attention given to the group by their local musical community was rather impressive — in fact, enough so to generate substantial interest of Sub City (a division of Hopeless Records), who inked the band with a deal in March 2003 and re-released their Against The Tide EP that summer.
After finding a new drummer to fill the void in the band's line-up (Mike Nader), the band next enlisted veteran indie-rock producer J. Robbins (Jawbox, Jets To Brazil, The Promise Ring) as the first major step towards creating their debut full length for sub city records. "No one had actually produced any of our records," says Cron of the band's previous studio experiences. "[Robbins] liked the songs and didn't have much change in the direction of the sound. Most of it was just the tedious work of tightening up things." The resulting album is an immaculate and highly diverse amalgamation of the band's primary influences, which extend from Pizzicato Five to U2 to The Beach Boys. "I had Pet Sounds in my head while we were recording," says Cron, on his frame of reference. "I thought, we gotta have everything on the album!"
In fact, it's impossible to deny that Everyday Behavior isn't an all-inclusive mix. While there's a constant melodic theme that grounds nearly every track on the 11-song collection, that's about the only common denominator on the album. And though MELEE performs within the indie-rock genre, their album’s dynamic variety makes it difficult to pigeonhole, unlike most of their peers.
Everyday Behavior's tracks will be available for live consumption across the nation this summer, as MELEE will appear on all the Vans Warped Tour dates. In addition, the band will also appear on the official Vans Warped Tour compilation and on Hopeless Records’ Hopelessly Devoted To You 5. And while Everyday Behavior helps break ground musically for the oft-stifled indie-rock set, it also makes a notable monetary contribution to a worthwhile cause.
Proceeds from the album will help benefit Orangewood PALS, an organization committed to fight child abuse and neglect in Orange County, Calif., where most of the band resides. The organization's volunteers arrange outings for the children at Orangewood Children's Home, provide necessary financial support for special projects and support programs for emancipated youth. In addition to donating money, MELEE plans to volunteer their free time at the children's home, assisting the staff and mentoring the kids. Sanberg notes that the album's purpose and mission extends past the sheer musical influence of the band. "I thought it would be more of a challenge to grab all these people in an effort to strike a common chord with everyone."
"Everyday Behavior is about what we really have gone through," he adds. "It's not like a themed album or anything. There are simple moments and complexities in these songs, there's love and hate and I think it's just a representation that all these things can exist together in the same world — or album."
-- by Waleed Rashidi |
