ITS SUMMER TIME @ FYS

Artist: My Lady Four
Genre: Indie/Alternative/Powerpop/Rock
Location: Minneapolis, MN.
Social Networking:
myspace.com/myladyfour
twitter.com/myladyfour
Review by Ella Goldsmith (www.twitter.com/ella_goldsmith)

21 seconds. That’s how long it takes for me to determine whether an album is worth listening to. My Lady Four caught me at second 16. And held it.

“Everyone Pays The Gatekeeper” is My Lady Four’s debut full length album. Standing strong with eight solid tracks, the album is everything a good album should be: diverse in sound, melody, and instrumentals, but consistent in a well-established style, as defined by the band. In the case of My Lady Four, the product has been an unbelievable force equipped with unique track titles that work. Together, band mates Brandon, Brian, Carp, Francis, and Peter have created something incredible. Its almost unreal that a quintet of dudes could create a sound of such a high caliber. So much, that you might quickly shift into denial after the second track, scanning the band’s myspace for a hidden 6th member.

Defying musical gravity, the band has created a lineup of multiple vocalists, and five members in charge of operating dual instruments and tasks. It seems as though the world has forgotten that a band can have both instrument and vocal technique. Luckily, My Lady Four is here to bring back this idea, an idea so far from any of their musical counterparts. You will be relieved to find that the band comes with talent, not bandanas.

What’s most impressive about the album is the inability to place it in a single genre. Sure, you could take the easy way out and call it “rock”, but each track calls for some individual attention. Track 3, entitled “…Sometimes the Bear Eats You”, featuring Mr. Jake Scherer, could be considered a more heavy-hitting, old Panic at The Disco! feel. “Your Idea of a Good Time” blends more hardcore-oriented guitar instrumentals to the table, ever-increasing the evidence of the band’s vast musical abilities, straying far from strictly rock or indie. Meanwhile, ballads such as “Awfully Quiet for an Interrogation” and “At the Gate” could easily bring a grown man to tears, with the help of exquisite arrangements between the band’s talented vocalists, piano, and careful percussion. Additions such as violins and female vocals such as “Even Apologies Have Enemies” act as further proof of the band’s undeniable talent and fearlessness in taking musical risks, and redefining rock albums as we know it.

The best thing about “Everyone Pays the Gatekeeper”? It has the ability to evoke every possible feeling in the book. Be you a lover of hard rock, a more powerpop-type track, or a ballad certain to bring some serious emotions, My Lady Four has created an album capable of giving you what you exactly what you want. Most importantly, the album has the ability to keep you entertained from start to finish. At 23:45 minutes, this album is perfect for rides with the windows down, or air-guitar sessions in my Buick. In reality, what more could you ask for?

“Everyone Pays the Gatekeeper” (July 01, 2009) c. My Lady Four 2009. available on iTunes, Amazon, and BigCartel. Please, do your ears a favor at pick it up.