Most of us know of only seven members of the singing von Trapp family, the seven brats who made it into the movie. Little known fact: Maria couldn't quite cut it at the convent; she got knocked up thrice, giving birth to the three neglected singing step-siblings. Today though, just two hours from Stowe, Vt. (site of the von Trapp's stateside estate ... duh), I'm convinced that the long lost side of the family tree is finally getting its revenge.
The alt-rock band Filligar, comprised of three brothers (twins Teddy Mathias '09 and Pete Mathias '09, plus baby Johnny '11) and their friend Casey Gibson, Hamilton '09, might as well be the modern equivalent of the von Trapp step-siblings. They nearly manage to out-Aryan the original seven (no small feat), and they've almost got them beat on the emo scale (fleeing Nazi occupation versus coming of age in affluent America: total toss-up). The College on the Hill is alive with the sound of music!
Smart, solid music, that is. Filligar's recently released "The City Tree" is a natural evolution from last year's "Succession, I Guess." Their sound is richer and more full-bodied, though perhaps a little less playful musically.
"Ideally, we sound a year older than we did on 'Succession,'" Johnny said. "Every year we all try to improve individually."
Johnny works on lead vocals and guitar, while Teddy plays bass and helps with background vocals. Pete handles percussion, and Casey impresses on the piano and keyboards that are so essential to Filligar's sound.
Their charming combination of Ivy League lyrics and pop-worthy hooks still makes for an easy breezy brainy-ful sound on "The City Tree," but the feel is just bigger. On many tracks, piano has taken the place of keyboard; there's now more cymbal than snare, more acoustic than electric. Filligar has grown into a sound a bit more bluesy, belying their still foot-tapping beats.
I think there's a rule these days that no music-related article is allowed to be written sans reference to Arcade Fire, so here's mine: Filligar is approaching that sort of orchestration, without taking themselves nearly as seriously.
Filligar is fun, after all. "Rattle Me," the fifth track on the album, has been rattling around in my head non-stop the past few days. And the opening track, "The Observatory," ("Everyone was happy when the light had run/We were pretty for a while, we were staring at the sun") embodies the sort of melancholic-but-shrugging-it-off attitude that characterizes much of Filligar's work. They've got adolescent angst galore, but not obnoxiously so: "Who's fake honey?/You're the one I'll take/to lunch," sings Johnny on the romping "Yo Hi Hey."
Nothing on "The City Tree" is quite as clever as Succession's "Venice's World's Fair" nor quite as catchy as "Apricot Jam," but this album can be played from start to finish, which is something to be said in our digital world. One or two hot downloads does not a legit band make, and it seems Filligar has long-term fish to fry.
The band's future looks bright, more so after a listen or two to "The City Tree." It appears that Filligar has truly got what it takes to make it big -- the talent, the work ethic, even the boyish good looks: slampieces, each and every one. Between their golden locks and sibling cachet, a Hanson reference is just too easy. I don't know if Filligar's "MMMBop" can be found on "The City Tree," but success on that level feels legitimately within their reach.
Of course, Filligar is out to accomplish more than simply mmm-bopping their way to the top.
Track three, "All the Same," exemplifies their lyrical brilliance: in turns alliterative and riddled with half-rhymes ("Colorful canvas, you dress in citrus, and listen to music that's better, better. Bulleted business, you came up with a wish-list, said we'd get past this together, together") and just a few seconds later, purely playful: "I like you cause I think you're fun. Isn't that so much better than love?" Playing "fun" off "love" is almost as bad a cliche as rhyming fire/desire/higher, but they get away with it.
"Anyone who says they write as a result of sudden inspiration is either lying or is lucky," Johnny, the band's main lyricist, said. "I usually have to sit down and think for a while about all the different stories, people and ideas that I've encountered."
And good news for Filligar fans: the entire band is now living on the East Coast (last year Johnny was still in high school in Filligar's hometown, Chicago -- home also to Wilco, an influence cited by Johnny and indeed recognizable), which should afford more time for practice and touring. Hopefully, Filligar will continue to evolve their intellectual, honey-sweet style. And with "The City Tree" available on iTunes, there's no excuse not to enjoy a romp in Filligar's richly musical hay.
