The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever Review
by Eric Bodrero
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Crap, can music get any happier? Xylophone dings, mandolin/banjo plucks, simple and happy drum beats, and God knows what other sorts of instruments making God knows what sort of merry noise that makes you almost want to turn gay just listening to it. But, despite this fact (and the fact that the songs have cute, gay, and fuzzy titles), the album is very well crafted and honed, and The Boy Least Likely To (TBLLT) has really hit a nail that, until now, only They Might Be Giants have come close to hammering.
This is simple music with simple lyrics, and only takes a simple brain to listen to, but underneath I'm sure that each of these twelve tracks was probably overly complicated in coming to fruition. That's a sign of genius in my opinion. But TBLLT really have something special here. I just love the fact that these tracks are so simple yet have so much to say, and that the instruments are simply played but are intricately and delicately layered and produced. Hand claps and all.
Harmonica breakdowns (Warm Panda Cola), banjo intros (Fur Soft as Fur), washboards (I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon to Your Star), flutes (The Battle of the Boy Least Likely To), tambourines (most tracks), and Sesame Street-like hooks (again, most tracks) are all present here, and each one adds a very dynamic element to the music, and none are used strictly as gimmicks. The Best Party Ever is such a beautifully fabricated album, so beautifully pure and raw. So beautifully indie! For fans of They Might Be Giants and the softer side of Cake.
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