Music Review - Scott Reynolds & The Steaming Beast

Scott Reynolds & The Steaming Beast “Adventure Boy” (Suburban Home)

Now if Suburban Home would release something by Dave Smalley next, they would have the ALL trifecta. What the hell am I talking about? Well, that would give the label three projects by all three of ALL’s different lead singers. Of course you have the label already releasing (and re-releasing) just about every Drag The River record which boasts ALL’s third and current singer, Chad Price. And now you have the label releasing Scott Reynolds’ new project, The Steaming Beast. Reynolds was the second ALL singer. Much like Price’s Drag The River, Reynolds’ newest endeavor bares little resemblance to the pop-punk of ALL. Frankly, you can decipher that without even listening to the album. The credits boast producer Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse, Mogwai) and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips. However, I don’t write for Maxim so I guess I should listen to Adventure Boy. The album is certainly not a chore though. The Steaming Beast combine humor and intelligence so well that it’s hard not to compare them to those early Flaming Lips records. On the other hand, The Steaming Beast never head off into those odd territories that the Lips were so well known for either. Reynolds and company might be peculiar at times, but never weird for the sake of being weird. That is an asset for Adventure Boy as the album moves at a healthy pace without ever feeling sidetracked. In fact, all this recalls the sadly defunct Troubled Hubble the most. That’s high praise indeed. For fans of quirky, offbeat pop, Scott Reynolds & The Steaming Beast might just be what you have been looking for.

Genre: Indie/Pop/Rock

RIYL: Troubled Hubble, The Flaming Lips, Ben Folds

Angel

[audio http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com/mediafiles/ScottReynolds/ScottReynolds_Angel.mp3]

www.myspace.com/scottreynoldsmusic

www.myspace.com/steamingbeast