Dressy Bessy’s new cute album is like a big, mega-sized chocolate bar of poppy tunes: You eat about half the bar feeling pretty good, but by the end of the candy goo, you’re sure your sweet tooth gave out quite a while ago. Such is the case with “Little Music,” a fun, modest album that overdoes the candy-coated melodies and the kindergarten lyrics in about 35 minutes. However, underneath the album’s innocent veneer, something more haunting and touching remains in the band’s simple songs about love and jealousy. This band isn’t all fluff-these songs smack of that junior high angst thirteen-year-olds feel when they’re convinced their crushes are destined to end in suffering and emotional torture.
For all their seeming naivet‚, Dressy Bessy’s a band that’s gotten around, being noticed by such big wigs as MTV, Village Voice, and the Washington Post. A band that’s had songs on such fabulous soundtracks as The Powerpuff Girls and But I’m a Cheerleader (both great entertainment) can’t be all fuzz and no substance. The substance of this band lies in two powerful skills-catchy melodies and the double strength of understatement and simplicity. The first element stems mainly from the standard catchy guitar power, a trait of many a pop band, but Dressy Bessy’s melodies seem to have more bounce per ounce, owing to the lead guitarist, John Hill, also guitarist of Apples in Stereo (“The Bird You Can’t See”). When the melodies are on, they’re on, in such great tunes as “Live to Tell All” and “2 My Question.” The drumming’s pretty good too, as the kick-ass delayed intro to “Lipstick” will prove. The drawback to the guitar static is that in about half the songs, the instruments turn into a proverbial Wall of Sound, completely drowning out the vocals. A healthy balance on all tracks, and this album would be much better overall.
While the snap of the melody keeps your head boppin’, the lyrics can cause some deep thoughts, although the intellectual should stick to something a little less kiddy pop. It ain’t rocket science to figure out the lyrics to “Little Music,” but the fun lies in untangling them from the layered harmonies. Tammy Ealom’s voice is strong, and she avoids the breathiness that transforms cute to annoying. The best track on the album is “Lipstick,” a simple song about jealousy with a nod to “Louie Louie.” With the lyrical layering and the catchiness, this song effortlessly complicates its tone and message. Ealom’s voice is wistful in such tracks as “Sunny” and “I’m Never Wrong.” She even makes building a snowman remind the listener of lost youth in “All the Right Reasons.” Dressy Bessy never pushes the issue, but lets you figure out the more complicated meaning behind boys and the weather.
Dressy Bessy has quite the little following in their hometown, and they’re certainly sweet enough to deserve success. The problem with this band, no matter how they stand out from the sludge, is that sometimes an album full of saccharine is just too much. Perhaps with a little melancholy thrown in, Dressy Bessy’s next album will go down easier.