The Sharp Things Announce New Album Series, Dogs Of Bushwick

Side One, Green Is Good, To Be Released February 26, 2013

Press Conference Proves A Miserable Failure, Band Bounces Back With Black Sabbath Cover

New Yawk, NY: This city's preeminent orch-pop band, The Sharp Things, announce plans to release Dogs Of Bushwick, an album series to start roll out on February 26, 2013, with its first installment, Green Is Good.

The band's core members, singer/songwriter/pianist Perry Serpa, guitarists Jim Santo and Michelle Caputo, violist Aisha Cohen, violinist Andrea Dovalle, bassist James Pertusi and newest member, flutist/keyboardist Adrienne Day, congregated for a press conference in downtown Manhattan at the end of September to make the official release announcement, (drummer Steve Gonzalez, in absentia), but production issues, stupid questions, low turnout and cream pies rendered it ineffective. Here's what went down anyway…

Holed up for a 3-year reconvention at Santo and Pertusi's celebrated Brooklyn recording studio, The Kennel, with producer Prince Polo at the board, The Sharp Things have turned out so much music in said time that the output exceeds their entire three-album back catalog-- 30-something songs! The result is, well, all over the place, Serpa says, "…but in a good way! In the 15 years this band's been together, I could say that I've never actually written anything expressly for it. I just write what I write and we, as a band, have always just adapted to what comes out."

In classic style, Dogs Of Bushwick proves to be a delicious hodge-podge of all kinds of interesting toss. Straight up grabs for the perfect pop song, the signature big symphonic pieces, experimental bits, plaintive torch songs, space-aged love songs, more protest songs and other good stuff can be found on each of the four albums. "The concepts are rough," says Serpa, "This ain't no Quadrophenia; it's more like the White Album… just, you know, not quite as historic."

Overall, Green Is Good deals with the affliction of greed and class disparity, kicking off with the anthemic "Blame The Bankers," cascading into "The Piper," featuring lovely vocal support from Mary Lorson (Saint Low, Madder Rose) ambling through the starving-artist plight with "Here Comes The Maestro" and the series' title track, "Dogs Of Bushwick," and through to Serpa/Santo coup "Lights," "I Know You're Gonna Break My Heart," (with help from the wonderful Laura Cantrell) and wrapping with "Back Down The Rabbit Hole," a disco song about the debt crisis.

Green Is Good will be the band's first offering since 2007's A Moveable Feast (Bar/None Records) which inspired these kind words from hard-to-please press outlets…

"Hope is on the horizon thanks to pop visionaries the Sharp Things."Spin

"With A Moveable Feast, The Sharp Things have expanded upon their musical ideal, and the results connect all the more."Under The Radar

"The third album from New York's 11-piece symphonic-pop ensemble serves up an eclectic banquet of darkly atmospheric chamber-pop and cool lounge-swing to an often dazzling effect." Popmatters

This lush pop full of douceur de vivre evinces the lovely gauze of Harry Nilsson with mid-period Tim Buckley." The Big Takeover

"Don't let all the trumpets, oboes and cellos make you nervous. Underneath the big-league arrangements are a set of muscular tunes that would still sound good played by a standard rock combo." Magnet

"A Technicolor extravaganza that blends the musicality of Belle and Sebastian with the spirit of Rufus Wainwright." Amplifier

In between albums (which will be released throughout next year and into 2014), fans and friends can expect videos for many of the songs, odds and sods, special vinyl releases and even some gratis downloadables, such as TST's Sabbath rendering (see link above).

There will be shows, as well, which will be announced in due time, my friends… In due time.

For more information, contact perry@goodcoppr.com or call 347 491-4935.

previous next