The Honeydogs What Comes After 2012

I had the pleasure of seeing The Honeydogs last week at the Beachland in Cleveland. Touring as a four-piece, they were great. Adam Levy is one of today's finest songwriters, and his singing and guitar playing are equally strong. Trent Norton is a killer bass player, and sings perfect harmonies on Levy's voice. Peter Sands adds flavor and nuance to everything he plays on keyboards. The drumming of Peter Anderson is metronome sharp and Ringo Starr perfect at all times. They are tight,  the arrangements are varied, and the band is smoking hot.

Naturally, they played much of the new record, which is as good as their best work. With the addition of another guitar, and a trombone and trumpet horn section (their usual 6-7 piece line-up), the studio recording is excellent, and the songs have the big sound and complex arrangements for which their records are known.

I wish I could find the right reference, but Levy's songs are both intelligent and melodic, with smart lyrics, great choruses, and catchy hooks. I can't find the right band for a comparison- maybe The Connells crossed with Clem Snide (and there is always a bit of Beatles in  there). Anyway, it's rock and roll for adults who can still dance and think at the same time. Smart modern rock. There's some decent audio over at Minnesota Public Radio. Check them out, they're brilliant.

The Honeydogs 10,000 Years 2003 and The Long Winters When I Pretend To Fall 2003

Songwriting.

Where are the new great songwriters? Well, as it turns out, there's plenty of them out there. How about if we just stick to songwriters with some original ideas. That narrows the field more than a little.

Here's two of them: Adam Levy of Honeydogs and John Roderick of The Long Winters. Smart, intelligent lyrics dealing with everything from the classic love song to sharp social commentary, melodies that both borrow from the past and bring something new to the game, all filtered through particularly artful arrangements.

In the case of Honeydogs, we get a crack ace band at the peak of its powers, Levy outdoes himself with the songs, and everything works. 10,00 Years, The Rake's Progress, Panhandler's Serenade, Poor Little Sugar, and Test Tube Kid are all stand-outs.

With The Long Winters, Roderick and band are augmented by many guests, but again, it is the songs and the singing that make the show. And again, great idiosyncratic arrangements. With their occasional indie envelope-pushing strangeness, they sound a little Spoon-like, but with less pretense and more pop. New Girl, Prom Night At Hater High, Cinnamon, Shapes, Scared Straight, and Blue Diamonds are the best of the lot.

Lyrically, both of these gentleman have honed their craft well beyond even good current songwriters, and these CDs are fine results of great craftsmanship.