Jack Tell In Other Attire

Arguably, one of the highest marks of a song composition's integrity is its ability to withstand alternate presentation.  As AIHA frontman Jack Tell demonstrated in his brief performance last night at Linneman's Riverwest Inn, the songs on his band's self titled release, easily endured a solo acoustic presentation.

While the 8-song album itself is a punky, indie rock driven collection; fast played chord progressions, squealing rogue wire guitar refrains, thick wriggly basslines and bottom heavy percussion, Tell's one-man show substitutes all of this for slowed down acoustic guitar enunciations.  There's a lot going on on the band's album, but there's a lot that gets lost in that, and so Tell's singular telling really kind of gives his lyrical ruminations a harder edge, leaving the instrumentation to rest on a much softer one.  Admittedly, this might sell the punchy piano laden,  violin intermittent "Antarctica" (one the albums strongest tracks) a little short, but that's by virtue of the song's recorded novelty only.  The disjointed closing track "Waves", however - a cute and pitchy early Residents sounding apology to Alaska for what we've done to her, fits perfectly in an intimate live setting, and strongly encourages a campy, smiling "kumbaya" sing along. 

As a full ensemble, Animals In Human Attire boast an eclectic group of musicians, all of which dabble in an array of other bands - most notably bassist Myles Coyne's Rusty Nickel Band.  This in mind, and being that the members' respective other projects range in genre from psychedelic jazz to "revival rock", it goes without saying that AIHA are prone to frequent costume changes. 

Animals In Human Attire are currently playing scattered shows throughout the midwest, and are at work on a new EP scheduled for release this year.  You can download their self-titled release free at bandcamp.com.