The Everyday Things - Lighten Up, Francis :: Not Lame Recordings - power pop and melodic rock record label, music and CDs

Good Music For Good People

The Everyday Things - Lighten Up, Francis

Produced by Spongetones leader Jaime Hoover, the classic refrains of The Beatles ring crystal clear all over The Everyday Things` awe-inspiring debut, "Lighten Up, Francis". Clear, readily identifiable echoes of timeless bands like The Plimsouls, The Beat(Paul Collins), The Romantics and 20/20 are enough reason to drop everything right now and listen to the soundbites below. But remember the movie "That Thing You Do" and those insanely catching numbers The Wonders, the fictional Beatles-inspired mop top band, were playing? Well, praise be to the pop heavens, The Everyday Things remind us The Wonder, as well as Barry And The Remains and The Zombies(and, yes...The Spongetones` "Beat And Torn"). This British-Invasion power pop done as preciously and gloriously as can be done, pop fans.

We live to encounter hard-driving punchy and sweet crunchy power pop like this and we know you do, too. Why are you here, right? There`s a lot to listen and check the proof of the pudding of words here. We believe in letting music do the talking and put them out there for you. Witness the trumped up, ringing guitar melodies echoing gorgeously endlessly in the music-mind. The rich, always challenging and non-clichd production from Jaime Hoover. But if that does not put The Everyday Things in the winner`s circle, live with the singing. The plaintive, classic pop stylings of lead singer Rory Odani are a rare treasure, in a all-digital world where everyone`s uncle and second cousin are releasing records thinking they can sing well enough to carry an album. Odani and co-band leader Troy Paterson have created a classic, classic indie power pop album. Not only one of the finest you`ll hear this year, but we`ll put forth: the decade.

THE EVERYDAY THINGS - Lighten up, Francis! (Not Lame; 2005) Before actually hearing it, I`d read a couple of short articles/reviews about The Everyday Things` Jamie Hoover-produced debut, being reminiscent of Jamie`s own Spongetones` Mersey-"Beat music". Sure enough, there is a couple of them that strongly recall the sounds from the mid-`60s Mersey shores, in a bit updated form, such as "Wonderful", and the pair from the band`s Hippycrickets days, "Colleen Colleen" and "It`s over". A bit more universal folk rocking jangle is explored through "Falling in love", and there`s also a couple of refreshing garage nuggets like the opening pair of "She likes it like that" and "Cry", or "Time to realize", as well as the thundering "easy beat" of "I`ve got my eye on you", while "She wouldn`t listen" is just plain `60s beat perfection, fitting comfortably somewhere between the two above mentioned sub-genres. Besides his knob-twidling role, it might be worth the mention that Jamie Hoover also appears as an unofficial multiinstrumental band member. Goran Obradovic / POPISM radio show; Serbia & Montenegro

Listen - mp3

Customer Reviews

The Everyday Things - te-RIFF-ic stuff!

Reviewer: Justin Dunne

This CD is groovier than having cute neighbors! If you like riffy - British invasiony - power pop, with more hooks than your grandfather's tackle box, then "Lighten Up Francis" is for you. There are also a few sweetly cooed slow numbers, the best being "Wonderful", which really bears the influence of producer Jamie Hoover's (Of the legendary Spongetones) touch. My personal fav is "Found You Out", one of those songs that is so good you actually say "Damn, this song is so good" outloud to yourself in the car when you listen! Wait until your next paycheck to buy your Rickenbacker and use your money this week to pick up a copy of "Lighten Up Francis", and give your ears the Aunt Jemima treatment (hey, I've seen Stripes too).