By: David de Young
 Audrey at the Uptown Bar - photo by David de Young (click for full size version) |
Members: Max Mileski - voice, synth, guitar Official website: http://www.loveaudrey.com |
Minneapolis-based pop/rock trio Audrey is carving out a unique niche in the local scene. What they are doing is most certainly retro, definitely cool, and even necessary. Finally a band has married several of the seemingly disparate elements of early 80's pop that we all know and love but hadn't figured out what to do with yet. And I'm glad of it since the 80's revival is something that I don't want to go stale because I'm not done enjoying it just yet.
When I saw Audrey them at the Uptown Bar on Wednesday April 9th they were playing the tough first slot. But I can't recall the last time I saw any band draw that well at 9 p.m. to the Uptown on a Wednesday night, regardless of who they were.
Audrey's vocalist Max Meleski sings in the new crooner tradition re-established by bands like the Fixx and Spandau Ballet (and of 'course David Bowie, though he had one hell of a head start.) There's a definite 1982 electro pop feel to what's going on here. Though live, Audrey still rocks thanks in part to the masterful guitar of Andre Leroux. Leroux's musicianship and the talented drumming of Josh Lemoine raise the bar on this music, not only saving these sometimes sentimental, new romantic-styled songs from being either cheesy or schmaltzy, but really pushing it to a whole new level of passion and fullness. (It doesn't hurt that the song writing is fairly mature either.) Listening to Audrey's latest EP that opens with a song fittingly titled "Beautiful," Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry also comes to mind both musically and through Mileski's voice in reverent homage. And "Marathon to the Sun" has Mileski sounding a bit like Andy Partridge of XTC.
One drawback-but it probably comes with the territory-is that these songs aren't terribly catchy. It takes a while for them songs to sink in, regardless of how good they sound while listening to them either live or on their two EP's. The song structures are more complex than in your average pop music. Choruses aren't emphasized. Bridges are extended, perhaps a little too far at times (4 out of 5 songs on the latest EP clock in at 5 minutes or longer), which might be the reason the songs are not as memorable after you've left the show. (I'm eating my own words while doing my final revisions as the strains of "On the Wire" keep running through my head.)
"On the Wire," a song that appears on both of their EP's has a bit of a Psychedelic Furs feel (live at least.) Mileski may have been a little too dismissive of the applause at the song's end. It was one of the best of the night; but there were just so few of us there we were unable to send large doses of appreciative energy back at the band.
Sometimes mid song Audrey gets a kind of ambient thing going on in their jams, with Joy Division-styled synth lines, yet as I said, it still remains rock and roll throughout. Eric Sommers' bass at times was reminiscent (and as tight) as the Gang of Four, to his credit as this was only his third show with the band; and drummer Josh Lemoine was right in the pocket in a Larry Mullen (U2) sort of way. (Although the song I think I'm talking about here is one during which the snare drum broke during the song, providing a slightly unplanned sound. I wish I could tell you what song it was, but 3 weeks later the set list for this show is buried under so many others.)
This is all just to say Audrey is definitely a band worth checking out. And a band that's easy to grow fond of.
Oh, and they have excellent taste in pants.
Location Info:
Uptown Bar and Café
Artist Info: Audrey
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