In Yr. Head...Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

I messed up. I didn't charge the battery in my camera. I assumed it would be okay and well, we all know what happens when you assume.....A: you aren't able to get any photos or video of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Please forgive me.

And it's a shame too, cause Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (henceforth refered to SSLYBY) is a great band. Or rather a fun band. Or....it doesn't matter. They're just that band that you constantly underrate, never give the lavish praise so heaped upon so many other bands. SSLYBY does not have a lot going for them on the surface. They're from Springfield, MO (isn't that where the Simpsons takes place?). They're youngish and to call them unassuming is to give to much weight to the word "unassuming". These are the guys who, when you see them on stage, you realize that you'd been standing next to the lead singer for both opening acts and didn't even realize it.

Now that I've been dismissive and condescending towards SSLYBY...

But I love this band. They're just pure enjoyment. They operate in the melodic middle ground between Weezer, The Shins, and Elliott Smith. In fact, I think the Shins are the closest comparison for SSLYBY. Both bands feature short, catchy, jangly pop songs that are the pure embodiment of a hazy summer evening spent with close friends in grassy fields (with grassy clippings under your bare feet), full of diffused light and children running in slow motion.

That's the sort of overwrought writing that if I read in a review on pitchfork, I'd probably fire off an angry letter to Schreiber. But that's the is the mental image I get when I listen to these songs. And I listen to these songs often because I secretly love pure pop music. SSLYBY is pure pop music.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is music to fall in love to. It's music to soundtrack a relationship. It's the "holy shit, am I in...LOVE?!" moment in pop form.

Broom, their debut album, is one of my favorite albums of all time. I've listened to it a couple times a month since I first found it in April of 2007. Oh, sad story. The only reason I ever listened to SSLYBY was because Boris Yeltsin himself died and I felt that illegally downloading his namesake band's album would be a fitting tribute. Turned out to be a good move for me. My favorite song on the album is the closer, a breezy two and a half minutes with one of the best and most devastating climaxes in a song I've ever heard. I wish this song was twice as long as it was.

Their second album is Pershing. I've had this album for some time but never really warmed up to it until just the past few weeks. While Broom was more immediate, Pershing it more a grower. But it features the same gorgeously catchy and simple pop songs.

I recently saw SSYLBY at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ. What really impressed me most about the band was their fanbase. Here is a band whose fan base transcends your typical hipster scensters. Maybe it was because the show was in NJ, I don't know. But I cannot remember the last time I saw a show where a father accompanied his high school daughter to a show. I cannot remember a time when a band seemed to have an entire fan club at a show (and they were all young). Absolutely one of the most diverse crowds I've ever seen.

A quick note about Asbury Lanes. Best.Venue.Ever. Seriously. It's a bowling alley first and foremost. People were bowling during the show even. The middle half of the lanes were covered by the temporary stage. The place was literally across the street from the ocean (and a few feet from the more famous Stone Pony). I don't think they had invested any money into it since the 1970's at the latest but that's what made it wonderful. If Happy Days was took place in 1977 and had punk undertones instead of taking place in the 1950's, this would take the place of Arnold's Drive-In. It was a bowling alley, yes, but they had somewhat gourmet food (that was cheap!). No horrible pizza here. They had good beer (and cheap!). This place is absolutely my favorite semi-punk rock and non-intentionally hipster bowling alley ever. Such a cool place.

Okay, music. I'm using a new (and vastly superior) site for posting songs, Drop.io. You can find four songs from SSLYBY HERE. Two songs from Broom (Pangea and Gwyneth) and two from Pershing (Modern Mystery and I Think I Want To Die). Listen, enjoy, then go see them live and buy some vinyl.

http://drop.io/afakeempire