What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here
Spark & Shine Records
4 Stars

Taking blatant ‘60s influences from The Beach Boys to The Beatles and whipping them into a whimsical, well-composed pop record are Seattle-based Curtains For You. Their sophomore record, What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here, is a slew of upbeat melodies and harmonies disguising the intricate and dark lyrics presented atop of them. Truly a work blending “then” with “now”, the record takes a roller coaster ride through 40 years of quirky and lands right where Curtains For You belongs – one step closer to breaking through their small-time act into the mainstream.

“Nuclear Age” utilizes beautiful harmonies throughout and shows their expertise in shared songwriting. There is also immediately no struggle for a lead vocals position, as it feels naturally shared during its entirety. It really shows their cohesion as a band well, which is very respectable and worth your attention. Following the opener is the southern-tinged, mildly gothic-influenced track “Dead World”. Using some slide and fast pianos with Cure-esque vocals, Curtains For You once again takes your attention for their ability to fuse everything they’ve gained from their influences and make it work in pop brilliance.

The record continues through a few more pop ditties, yet the upbeat musicianship is thrown over tragic lyrics. It’s irony at its finest, really. “Dumb Angel” even opens with “I caught you making out with your hands on her hips and your legs tied in knots” and continues on about a cheating lover, but retains its catchy melodies throughout.

Splitting the record in half is the acoustic-driven “Chain Link Fence.” The record then takes a less focused feel and ends with a very pop-oriented track (“Roadtrip To Disaster”) to the rowdy “Clanging Of The Masses.” The finale track, “Licorice Skies,” opens with fireworks and returns to a well-composed pop structure and melody to close things out wonderfully. Having created what could have been a very successful split for a vinyl, Curtains For You presents 10 carefully crafted songs with perfect placement throughout.

With an overwhelming arsenal of song crafting ability backing this band, there is a lot of talent within its ranks that needs to be exposed- and quickly. What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here is nothing near the worrisome “sophomore slump” and contains tracks created by a band that needs far more attention. This record really hasn’t any low point in terms of throwaway tracks, and only gets better with each play. –MATTHEW COLWELL

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