"The Real Be Easys write songs with balls." So reads the statement inside this digipak debut CD. Self-produced, self-released and self-indulgent, Lost Paradise backs up that statement. It's one groovy slab of rhythm and rhyme that embraces the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus and even Talking Heads. Two New Yorkers (singer/guitarist Evan Jaffee and bassist Paul Testagrossa) and one California dude (drummer Leighton Haniff, although Zachary Thomas is credited in the liner notes) make hypnotic, occasionally chaotic music that refuses to stand still. While Jaffe's wiggly vocals and clever wordplay (dig the "absotively, posolutely" in "Ipso Facto") will certainly keep your ears perked, it is Testagrossa's popping Les Claypool-influenced bass that drives these 11 songs, injecting them with a funky vibe that never lets go. The most radio-ready tune also happens to be the band's tribute to producer Rick Rubin, which is followed by an uncredited, 13-minute instrumental jam that's as good as anything else on Lost Paradise.
So confident as to be cocky, the Real Be Easys have found a sound that could build an indie-rock foundation and even pick up a few progressive-music fans along the way -- making it all seem so easy.
Track Listing:
1) Defunkt
2) Maniac
3) Ipso Facto
4) Pop Bottles
5) Bullet
6) On the Road
7) Life With My Knife
8) Jam On
9) High Beams (Live)
10) Rick Rubin (Live)
11) Bonus Tracks (Untitled)