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Jared Mees & The Grown Children: Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine Money [Album Review]

Jared Mees

Despite using the “main star & his band” moniker, Jared Mees & The Grown Children is an obviously collaborative group in their execution. Although Jared hits hard with his wonderfully trebled vocals, his counterpart Meg adds to the mix one of the best voices in indie rock west of the Cascades. Try to imagine the best Antsy Pants song you know, and The Grown Children provide 13 of those on Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine Money.

The aftermath is only half as bad as it is true seems an almost misplaced gem of a metaphor in the over go lucky ditty “Oh No, Oh My God”. The unity of these distinguished Portlanders is most most respectable on the MySpace friendly sing along “Tallest Building In Hell” (which contains what may be a bit of angst for the grunge capital north of their homeland). And a hint of bluegrass influence is hidden in the twangy “Wettin’ Down The Dirt”, which is followed beautifully by the punky effervescent ode to the downtown life, “Slabtown (Friday Night)”.

At times this album is as crisp as a freshly lit organic cigarette. At others, said cigarette is being flicked into your earlobe through a musical composition of anger. In the end, Jared Mees & The Grown Children has mastered the use of real words, general truths, and surreal tranquility to create a fun-loving record that avoids pretentious guardrails, and prefers free minded interstates ready to be traveled.

Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine Money by Jared Mees & The Grown Children

Tender Loving Empire [CD, 2008]

1. Bees
2. In The Fall
3. The Tallest Building In Hell
4. Oh No Oh My God
5. Excellent Time
6. Trampling Daises
7. Strong Black Coffee
8. Wettin’ Down The Dirt
9. Slabtown (Friday Night)
10. Sunday Lord
11. 10:26
12. Surprise
13. A Note

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