Funny Bones Beats

Is this the next level of dance music?

Funny Bones took a trip to the Doo Wop Shop and rented some studio monitors.  A week later, with help from Louisville Multimedia, the livetronica duo have cut their first CD and are ready to put it into people’s hands!  The band is confident in the CD and believe that anyone and everyone will find a little Magick in their step post-listening.

Act One takes off with  “Hard to Believe” and never looks back.  The opening track relishes in its wide array of experimental sound with a feel that reminds one of, say, Animal Collective.  The duo blends samples from some of their favorite artists with their own guitar, vocal work, and Ableton tricks.  ”Hard to Believe” is a no-holds-barred shout out to the band’s conscience and goals.

Funny Bones proves to us that their mission is to know no rules and still produce ear candy.  The song dashes excitedly from genre to genre without pigeonholing itself and features both earth rattling bass and a spacey atmosphere.  As reverberations from the first song fade into the piano driven track “Pleased to Meet You“, it is clear that Funny Bones has captured the listener’s attention and imagination, and has no intentions of letting them go.

“Pleased to Meet You” features heavy synthesized bass, tasteful acoustic guitar playing.  The song builds to a crescendo that captures the stew of emotions we experience when we meeting someone new for the first time.  The band’s Michael Tierney comments about the track:

“Love is put on such a pedestal.  I have love for so many people.  Including that one girl you remember from summer camp who is dancing at a show covered in Urban Outfitters clothing.  Sometimes love is the main drive to conquer your fears and insecurities in order to go ask someone to dance.  It may sound like bologna, but it is a lot better than relying on alcohol to settle your nerves, right?”  The song screams  happiness and good vibrations as it fades into the apocalyptic future funk beat of “My Mind Set Me Free“.

“My Mind Set Me Free“, the third number on the EP, takes off with an army of 808 kick drums going to war against an orchestra of horns, brass and synths.  ”My Mind Set Me Free” continues the theme of internal exploration and the agony of self-doubt.  Nathan LeClaire explains:

” ‘My Mind Set Me Free’ began as a collection of samples from a funk song of the same name that I discovered on a well-worn CD in my personal collection.  It has really come into its own as a song that emphasizes the Funny Bones theme of liberation through constructive thought.”  The funk fades to blues on the final track of Act One: a soulful gospel house tune known as “Air, Water, Fire & Earth“.

The final track of Act One is a homage to the band’s deep connection with the old forefathers of blues.  Mike states:  ”Nate and I have always loved and felt an almost spiritual connection with the emotions conveyed by the early pioneers of blues such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and so many others.  ’Air, Water, Fire & Earth’ is really our take on one of my favorite songs: a song entitled ‘Well, Well, Well’ by Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama.  There is just something so human and so supernatural about the song, its feel and the souls involved.”

The song expresses an array of emotions and the sampled harmonies are as moving as the bass that underlies them.  It is indeed a moving experience to listen to an electronic song that can convey so much to so many.  As Harper croons, “When you’re down on your knees, with nothing left to sell / Why don’t you try digging a little deeper in the well, well, well?”  The song has a cinematic feel and one cannot help but imagine vivid pictures in the mind while listening.  Funny Bones is not just trying to just make you think outside the box on this one.  They are forcing you to destroy the box altogether.

The band insists that, in addition to the thematic content, Act One is really just a retelling of the band’s own story.  These songs are representative of the two musical Wunderkinds coming together to form an idea, a band, and a movement.  They strive for a deeper understanding of the way that things are and it is clear that they want to convey this through their music.  In exploring the basics of human emotion the band takes the listener on a wild ride of dance, experimentation, and vibrations that leave one wondering: What is it with Funny Bones?

Funny Bones also added two bonus tracks on the EP.  The dynamic duo are huge fans of the Chemical Brothers and here they have produced mashups that seamlessly blend the Chems with other modern producers.  These tracks are heavy bangers charged with the same emotions that make the original Funny Bones productions so likeable.

Do yourself a favor and get your ears on this as soon as possible.

Cheers,

- The Alchemist.