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Neon Trees
Countless Rock bands toil in relative obscurity. Oh sure, they may be "big" in their hometown, whether it's St. Louis, Denver or Salt Lake City. But in the end, who cares? Sure, the band has several indie releases. An EP or album attracts a couple hundred more fans - which compensates for the ones who have lost interest.
Wouldn't it be great if some successful act took an interest in one of these struggling groups and helped them along and put the unknowns in front of thousands of music fans?
Well, that's exactly what happened to Neon Trees, a band well-know in their hometown of Provo, UT, and in Salt Lake City. In '08, they were selected by The Killers to be an opening act on several tour stops.
As a result, Neon Trees signed with Mercury Records. And there was more good news. They were voted Band of the Year in '09 by Salt Lake's 'City Weekly' newspaper.
The following year, "Habits" was issued featuring the lead single "Animal," which was also used in a commercial promoting Las Vegas - wonder if they got "comped" any free drinks?
Neon Trees released a live album "iTunes Live From SoHo" in '10 and "Animal" was performed by the cast of the TV show Glee in a season 2 ('11) episode.
Sophomore set, "Picture Show," dropped in '12. A few weeks earlier, Neon Trees and their single "Everybody Talks" was featured in a commercial for the 2012 Buick Verano.
Albums:
2010 Habits
2012 Picture Show
Are we retro now? On their '10 debut album the Crash King's had a song titled "1985." Meanwhile, Neon Tree's went back to a more hopeful period with "1983" ("'83 is calling me"); to a time when the '80's recession had finally ended and MTV ruled America.
And like any early '80s band - at least a successful one - Neon Trees fill their songs with catchy melodies, synth fillers and some "can't get it out of your head" hooks. The uptempo set opener "Sins Of My Youth," the dirty Rock of "Love And Affection" and the pop creation "Animal" supply the initial attraction. But the song that's a real bolt is the imaginative "In The Next Room." It starts as an early-60s finger-poppin' track that devolves (in a good way) into post-Punk power-pop.
A sophomore album is always a telling moment. Can the group match or exceed previous accomplishments or is the album a pale remake of its predecessor? "Picture Show," is a more accomplished and assured set, thanks largely to Glenn's expressive and often pensive vocals.
The opening track, "Moving In The Dark," sounds like a camp fire song before morphing into an Alt. Rocker. Later, "Trust" takes an '80's synth-pop turn. Venturing back to the set's core sound, "Everybody Talks," got a lot of deserved attention but it is eclipsed by the joyful "Hooray For Hollywood," which thankfully bears no resemblance to the show tune of the same name.