Impeccable Timing

It’s questionable if Say Hi To Your Mom’s latest effort Impeccable Blahs is truly a concept album - but somehow every song has a six degree meaning of vampires. Albeit more metaphorically of blood suckers than the actual demons of the night but each song consists of the image. Don’t let that alarm you however, because Eric Elbogen has morphed his once solo sound to a new three piece level and is on the path to budding his vision originated some five years ago. Impeccable Blahs is a buffet of wittiness and pop rock that is sorely missed in today’s music scene.

For this album, Elbogen enlisted the help of drummer Chris Egan and keyboardist Jeff Sheinkopf who were originally part of the tour in 2005 but eventually landed in the studio when Elbogen began recording Impeccable Blahs. The difference is a much more robust and engaging sound than before. Simple songs are now layered by the aid of Jeff’s absorbing synth - motivated keys and complimented by Egan’s evasive yet agreeable tempo. Of course, this means nothing if Elbogen’s dry wit is misplaced among the advancements. But Egan is able to now focus on even more original songs with swooning guitars and entertaining phrases like “I’ll give you eternal life/Well, not so much eternal life, but have you ever seen a good zombie movie?/Well, like that, but you’ll be smarter and you’ll stay 23,” from ‘Blah Blah Blah’. That’s Frasier f’in Craine of dry humor, folks.

Quirky lyrics only go so far and thankfully, the band has found a new sound in songs like ‘Angels and Darlas’ and ‘Sad, But Endearingly So’ littered with trickling electro pop keyboards and bellowing guitar echoes. Elbogen has finally successfully made the transition from flat to pop while still keeping a subdued lo-fi sound throughout and finally offers songs that are catchy in the way a They Might Be Giants song clicks in your head minus the annoying accordion and nasal voices. The once dry sound is now memorable while retaining the same worthwhile tongue-n-cheek moniker that his devoted fans adore. ‘Snowcones and Puppies’ aptly demonstrates the more dynamic and rich sound that has been absent.

Impeccable Blahs is a turning point for Elbogen; an expanding pop effort that still pays tribute to what made previous Say Hi efforts seem indolent in comparison. Finally the group can put label-scene behind them by designing their own sound. These aren’t the next indie sensation…this is the best of modern alternative music.

Sean Kendall