Say Hi To Your Mom was never on the Cable Guy Soundtrack - Oh My Rockness

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Say Hi To Your Mom was never on the Cable Guy Soundtrack

May 26, 2005
I put on the new Say Hi To Your Mom record (Ferocious Mopes) the other day, and a friend said, "Oh, is this the new Wilco?" Yeah, that guy's not really my friend anymore. Let's just say I don't really "appreciate" Wilco's genius. But this isn't about Wilco, it's about Say Hi To Your Mom. And they are awesome.

Say Hi To Your Mom's melodic, lo-fi bedroom pop, captured forever on tape, is the product of multi-task master Eric Elbogen (vocalist, instrumentalist, engineer) and a lot of help from his computer (Mine Sweeper rules!). But Say Hi To Your Mom isn't really one of those "computer bands", because those "computer bands" usually end up being great for only one thing: naps. Thankfully, their sound finds an absence of glitches and clicks, and a prevalence of strums and drums. Say Hi To You Mom's live on-stage show sees Elbogen suddenly morph into a full-on band, with nary a LCD screen in site. And they kick out the jams better than any keyboard ever could.

I should make up with my former friend because, now that I think about it, maybe Elbogen's voice does sound a little like Jeff Tweedy (maybe). But the lovely lo-fi jingle jangly sounds that are emanated are way more in tune with bands like Her Space Holiday and Granddaddy. And just recently, I solved a great mystery surrounding this band. For many months (July of 2004 was the start of it all), I was like, "Man, who does this sound like!?!" It was on the tip of my tongue forever until, literally, like 5 minutes ago, I thought of it. Remember that song called something like, "Standing Outside a Phone Booth With a Bunch of Money in My Pants" by that band, Primitive Radio Gods? BOOM! That's who Say Hi To Your Mom kind of reminds me of. Ok awesome, now absolutely no one will go see this show because they'll be thinking of a band on the Cable Guy soundtrack. Whatever, you know you were humming that song in the summer of 1996.

Say Hi To Your Mom (the person and the band) have an unbelievable knack for writing catchy songs with beats and hooks that definitely a) don't suck and b) won't make you want a nap.

Say Hi To Your Mom play Bowery Ballroom (supporting The Wrens) this Friday, May 27th. And they'll be headlining at Mercury Lounge Tuesday, May 31st.(Get show info.)

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