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Some Professional Help CD Release, with Devotionals and Van Goat
Some Professional Help is a sort of nonmonogamous (or nonrepetitive) band that plays nonrepetitive pop. Devotionals and Van Goat both feature members Some Professional Help
Devotionals is a humble exploration of existence, the time bound-less ache upon awakening, a rumination on the composition of the everyday breath. Based around the compositions of Tyson Vogel, the band constantly evolves into a gathering of universes built by the presences of Jeff Blair, Lewis Patzner, Emily Ritz, Erin Wang, Andrew Maguire, Joanna Blanche Lioce, Alfred Ramos. Giving a nod of reverence to what has come in forms of Rachmaninov to John Fahey, to the unknown echos of the street musician, these songs: a midwife to the gravity of a heart and the ache to understand.
Some Professional Help features a rotating cast of over 16 musicians,lead by Scott Alexander. Alexander is in peak form on Some Professional Help. Amidst delicate crooning, his natural songwriting ability comes through in the shape of well-turned acoustic phrases, shimmering electric guitars, delicate brush work, and the baroque whimpering of bassoon. Lyrically, the EP channels artists like Jonathan Richman or The Mountain Goats, weaving enchanting stories as allegories for Alexander’s personal struggles.
Van Goat takes the tradition of fun, fast, eclectic surf rock started by bands such as Agent Orange, The Pixies, and The Minutemen, mixed with their own brand of swing punk reminiscent of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Fast, crass, and extremely catchy, Van Goat’s music is defined by constant hooks and changes.