BoyskoutAnother LifeThree Ring RecordsThree and a half out of five
Who likes girl bands? Who likes girl bands whose members make out with each other in their first “mainstream” music video? Who likes girl bands that offer more than just cheap thrills (such as making out with each other)? Who likes Boy Scouts, axe circles and the clove hitch? Who likes art/indie/grrrl rock band Boyskout?Another Life, Boyskout’s sophomore release, delivers a compelling, albeit simplistic, 45 minutes of moody, moody music. The overall mood produced is? aloofness. Aloof sexuality, aloof depression and aloof?pretty much everything. Weird, but this makes Another Life enjoyable.The guitars ping (solos often played tremolo) and the vocals are sultry. Rhythmically, drums and bass fall into place and exude predictability, but provide the perfect backdrop for each track. Leslie Satterfield’s lyrics in Another Life beat most-they can be poetic and illicit. Boyskout pouts as a refrain, “She laughs when she says, ‘I’m so turned on.'” This repetition brings out a strong reaction when the title of the song jumps back into mind: “Suicide.” Maybe it’s just me, but that’s kind of creepy and?exhilarating?I’m so turned? Whoa! Getting sidetracked-and speaking of sidetracks, Another Life has two covers, executed fairly well-Kraftwerk’s “The Model” and The Beatles’ “Drive My Car,” listed incognito as “Track 12”.Anyway, Another Life can be hard to get into. Although the songs are poppy enough to be catchy/memorable, this type of album seems more fitting and useful as background music.Boyskout will be performing at Urban Lounge on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.