I wasn't kidding on last night's show when I said that Barricades, the new record by local boys The Privates, is the only new music I've listened to in the last week. Sure, I've been spending most of my time assembling my best-of-'06 lists, but the real reason I haven't been listening to new stuff is because 2006 is pretty much wrapped up in terms of releases. But before we close the book on this year and look to the next, before we click "publish" and send our final picks of the year out into the ether, maybe we should stop for a moment and listen to Barricades, which on December 19 will be ending a great year of music on an excellent note.
Even after three and a half years in Nashville, I still get pretty excited when I hear a band or a record that proves I didn't completely move to countryville. Barricades has been my first exposure to The Privates, although I've certainly known about the band - I met lead singer and guitarist Dave Paulson when he was playing with his former band Character, and each of the three remaining band members are part of other well-known Nashville acts: drummer Rollum Haas plays with The Features, bassist Keith Lowen recently joined De Novo Dahl, and keyboardist Ryan Norris is a member of Lambchop. With a pedigree like that and the buzz The Privates have received around town, one would think I'd have heard the band before now. Um... yeah. At least Barricades is a good place to hop on the bandwagon.
The record's a brief one, clocking in at just under thirty minutes, and all but two of the tracks fall short of the three minute mark. With the type of rock these boys play, I think brief is good - a decent percentage of the songs I've heard this year could stand to have the fat trimmed a little bit, and it's nice to run through an entire album without a single song wearing out its welcome. I'll refrain from drawing comparisons (mine typically don't make sense to anyone but me), but I'll say that the band lists its influences on its myspace page, and I can definitely pick up on a few, while others aren't as prominent. Mostly, I think the record does a great job with a brand of rock I tend to favor - accessible enough to be enjoyable on the first listen, catchy enough to get stuck in your head (I think at least half the songs have accomplished that so far), edgy enough to be slightly challenging and not instantly forgettable, and complex enough for you to appreciate the music a little more each time you make a lap around the album. I also played the record for a friend today and he told me that the arrangements are pretty impressive, but his observations sounded like Greek to me.
"Heart's Got a Hole"
"Barricades"
"My Shoes"
Barricades will be available next week - at Grimey's and CD Warehouse here in Nashville, and online via the band's myspace page as well. The record will also be on sale at the CD release show this Saturday at the End, where The Privates will be playing with Apollo Up and Lylas.
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