Albums by this artist

Charm School (2003)

Bishop Allen

Charm School

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» JEFF GRAY | STAFF WRITER

Bishop Allen Charm School Champagne School, 2003 RiYL: Belle and Sebastian, Dan Bern, Talking Heads

Bishop Allen seem so familiar, maybe they're the guys who were playing in your dorm room just last week. But it's probably been years since you had a dorm room, and even if the band you remember could really light up the quad the night before the big game against State, they couldn't have made this record. Charm School is an instant old friend, comfortably familiar but still clever and new.

The album comes honestly by its homey feel. It was recorded by the band in a couple of apartments and self-produced and released bu guitarist/singers Justin Rice and Christian Rudder. The result is an acceptably low-fi sound, not unclear so much as it is unfettered by fancy fills and tricks. When the band does add in something simple like harmony vocals by singer Bonnie Karin or Puerto Rican scraper percussion, it's noticeable and effective. The music is capable and enthusiastic throughout, with catchy riffs and earnest, wheedling vocals, ranging from the folky stomp of "Penitentiary Bound" to the Talking Heads-like shouted blustering of "Busted Heart".

And that's all nice, but it's Charm School's spirit and well, charm, that really sets it apart. It's a college album in the best sense of the phrase, capturing the lightheartedness and confidence and insecurity of overly clever very-early-twentysomethings deciding to make a rock-'n'-roll record instead of getting real jobs. Lyrics that mention an "interview tie" ("Little Black Ache"), breaking crappy old furniture ("Bishop Allen Drive"), or making do with a long-distance relationship ("The right voice is all I need this fall / Cuz you know: I need someone to sing me to sleep" in "Coupla Easy Things") create new early-adulthood cliches that blow away the normal teen-pop ones. Charm School even comes with its own built-in concert finale, the pop-rockin' "Things Are What You Make Of Them", the most accessible song on a record full of accessible songs that don't get old.

Charm School isn't so much an emotional roller-coaster as it is an emotional escalator -- no sharp or upsetting mood changes, but look around and you've reached a peak with a sing-along anthem or gone back down into the sentimental cellar with a song about wasted time or a love far away. The good news is that both you and the band have made the gentle ride with smiles on your faces.

JEFF GRAY | Jeff Gray used to be an important mover and shaker in Chicago, but gave all that up to live on a beach in rural Hawaii. You'll notice him if you're there, he's the one who's very tall and a little bit sunburned. His musical tastes tend towards the mainstream -- Phish, Radiohead, The Strokes -- but he'll argue to the death that those bands are mainstream because they're 100% awesome. Jeff's always on the lookout for the next great pop song, tidbits about Michigan football, and 80's action movies on cable.