((Connections)) Band Profile and Upcoming New York City Concerts - Oh My Rockness


Written by Patrick McNamara

Columbus, OH’s Connections are a good time lo-fi fuzzy pop band that remind me of Built to Spill circa 1994’s “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love” (particularly Doug Martsch’s guitar solo during the last part of that last “real” song “Stab” - to be unnecessarily specific about things) meets fellow (legendary lo-fi) Ohioans, Guided by Voices (singer Kevin Elliott and guitarist Andy Hampel were in 84 Nash - a band that released an album on Robert Pollard’s Rockathon Record, so maybe that influenced my band comparison game thinking...or maybe they just sound like Guided by Voices).

Oh wait, I forgot to put one more fun fact in parentheses (Elliot’s brother, Adam, is the drummer and he used to be in Columbus, OH’s Times New Viking).

The guys in Connections have been playing music a long time. Just not as Connections. Connections are fairly new. The band just came out with their debut full-length “Private Airplane” at the end of May (they recorded it in one day - sleep when you’re dead - walk around forever irritable due to lack of sleep when you’re alive). But I mention this not just because that album is good (it is) but because that album is already sooooooo old news, guys. Releasing something 4 months ago is a lifetime for Connections. They already have another full-length called “Body Language” done and ready to start its rule circa October 1st, 2013 (A.D.).

Speaking of that new album - the newer of the new, I mean - here’s a dynamically streaming song from it called “Summer Creeps.” I think you’ll agree it’s good time fuzzy pop. And if you don’t? Well, I’m gonna start calling you Heisenberg from now on because you’re an absolute monster. Please pay no attention to the fact that this song starts out sounding a lot like the beginning of that song “Closing Time” (one last call for alcohol). Actually, no. Wait a minute. Do pay attention to that. Because “Closing Time” was actually a really good pop song. I said it. I stand by it. And that settles it.

(...but if you ever ask me about it in real life I will forever deny it and ultimately manipulate you to make it seem like you’re the one who actually liked “Closing Time” all along and you’d even be willing to die just to hear “Closing Time” one more time - that’s right, Heisenberg style.)

(to be fair, that’s a very common chord progression and also, I honest-to-goodness read the book the drummer of that “Closing Time” song wrote about what it was like being a one hit wonder - it was OK.)

Published September 17, 2013
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