the Notes and Scratches

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First dates with the Notes and Scrathces Uh-Oh!!
Saturday, December 10 2005 @ 09:28 AM CST
Contributed by: Ken

Finding a new band that you like can be like going on a first date. You’ve got to feel that person out, read through the bullshit to see what you think of that person. Unless you are desparate, you use this “first date” time to decide if you will screen the next call or not. As a point of reference a desperate finding of a new band could be likened to Creed, Nickleback, etc. If you are desparate (and it’s okay to be) then you keep seeing that person even when you know they suck. My first date with Chicago’s the Notes & Scratchings went very well last night. By literally pure accident we ran into each other on the internet, and decided to spend the evening together.

From my end the date went quite well, and have no plans to screen their next call. I can actually see this going somewhere. I hope they liked me as well. So a musical first date relies on much more than looks, although that is not entirely true for some situations. Records have been bought in large quantaties based on the looks of the band alone. Now I am not saying that the Notes are bad looking, in fact as you can see they are a quite handsome (and beautiful) group.

A musical first date relies on more though for me. I need to relate, you know have similiar interests, like the same bands they do. Perhaps that’s why the date went so well, I really like Death Cab, Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits, and it seems like the Notes do to. Looking through their record collection (as I always do the first time I go to a girls house) tells me alot about this band, most of all it says they have the kind of influences that make a band and their relationship with a fan last. After poking around through their records for a while when they weren’t looking I noticed a few by Pedro the Lion, Stars, and The National in their collection, and I could tell this was going to last. Their debut record exhibits a band that really wants to be around a while, maybe a lifetime.

All silliness aside this is a fantastic record, and it’s been released by Tense Forms Records in handmade packaging. When you order the record from Tense Forms, they send you a link to download mp3s and a digital booklet to tied you over while you wait for the CD in the post. How cool is that!! If you buy only one more record this year, this one might be a great idea. Remember all relationships come with baggage, and you have to make sure that you like the baggage a band they are bringing into the relationship.