MUSIC REVIEW: THE HEAVY - 'HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW' EP
From High, Syrupy Soul to Gritty Funk, This is a Voice That Makes Every Sound Its Bitch
If you weren’t aware of The Heavy from earlier album releases of Great Vengeance and Furious Fire or The House That Dirt Built, chances are you’re at least familiar with the stomping crunch-funk track “How You Like Me Now?” which pricked ears, spontaneously tapped toes, and had viewers singing along with a certain very famous car commercial.
Lingering too long on the compulsive sound and commercialism of that song would be to do a disservice to all other tracks from guitarist Dan Taylor and vocalist Kelvin Swaby. The creative engine of the band is careful to spice every song with the same levels of addictive hooks and funked-up exuberance. Briefly, though, we should give a nod to The Dap-Kings Horns, who furnish the title track of this EP with a reworking of the original single. What was once a spare, gnarly expression of sky-punching euphoria is presented here with a richer, deeper warmth of brass, as counter-melody is layered in. It’s still just as raw but with an addition of ingredients served al-dente. If you like the opening track, you’re going to get your rocks off to the rest of the tunes which explore similar themes with equal abandon.
Horns swing and stab as guitars dig in with some gutsy funk and lead hooks that are as timeless as they are demanding of movement. There are moments here that could well be sampled, stolen, or swiped from James Brown himself, but this is all original guitar work that sounds like a definition of genre. The energy of The Heavy is palpable. Sharp and straight to the point of the sound, each song seems to have been recorded live to capture the essence of what’s being expressed. This is a tight band leaning toward a high-speed cruise; occasionally a dip in the road is hit, a bum note bends just shy of a beat, a splash cymbal blurs a phrase, but it’s those human elements that make this one of the most charismatic acts you’ll hear.
Kelvin Swaby has a vocal presence that appears only once every few years. His performances here are as every bit full-on as they were on earlier recordings. He’s just the kind of man who can’t drive a sports car without pushing the motor to its limit, accelerating into every corner and working through the gears as if this is his last opportunity to drive. He’s not showy, he doesn’t over-do anything, there are no operatic ‘look-at-me’ moments... He simply works each song to the fullest of the song’s ability; he extracts essence that perhaps other vocalists would fail to detect. From high, syrupy Soul to gritty Funk, this is a voice that makes every sound its bitch. The great irony is that, because Swaby makes every song, his own listeners are all the more compelled to sing along.
It’s on the more naked moments that the visceral energies are really exposed. “Strong Enough,” which opens with a blend of feedback, fuzzed guitar, and heavy bass-drum work, sounds almost like a rehearsal in a secret basement. There’s nothing too offensive, assaulting, or confrontational about this band, but these are the dangerous kids driven by Rock N’ Roll, and Rock N’ Roll does strange things to the sons and daughters of suburbia. This is sexy-alleyway behavior at its best, or worst. “When you feel like letting go, baby let me know,” is the invitational lyric to which most will favorably respond.
Currently touring material from their first two albums, The Heavy offers something with this EP as further fuel to the beacons. To dismiss them as simply a one-hit wonder would be to short-change yourself and deny the opportunity to dance hard and long. The magic of this band is that they’re top quality, utterly appealing, and they’re commercial. A certain kind of snobbery may keep a certain kind of music fan away, but that’s okay. Those kind of people can’t dance very well anyway. This is debauchery, and it’s wicked.
For Fans Of: Lovage, Bitter:Sweet, Fools & Horses
Standout Tracks: How You Like Me Now? Strong Enough
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