Mittens

Fools on a Holiday

(Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts)

Record Review by Sarah Jane

Mittens is my cat. He’s had some fiddle lessons here and there, but nothing beyond that. Imagine my surprise when I discovered he had his own band – a Boston-based three-piece. Mittens is guitarist/bassist/America’s Next Top Model aspirant Andy Brooks, guitarist/bassist Tom Novotny and drummer Nick Buni. Fools on a Holiday is Mittens’ (the band) second full-length album. Mittens (the cat) likes chicken and cotton baby t’s.

Mittens’ sound is that of carefree mid-century Teenage Fanclub garage pop - Nada Surf with simpler melodies and less sonic, or the Beatles without Ringo. “Like A Shot” is a strumtastic Ray Davies-inspired “I Should Have Known Better” for the Wassail partay set. “Baby Don’t Know” also has the Ray Davies touch; the song takes an unexpected moogtacular turn describable as Main Street Electrical Parade-tinged.

As promised by their MySpace page, “Leeway” and “Looks Like You Could Use A Little Love” are Mittens’ rootsy two-step barn dance songs. Recorded by Pete Weiss in his secluded Vermont studio, Fools on a Holiday might have taken a Shining turn. Instead, Mittens’ bygone days cute was reinforced with seemingly old-fashioned pre-Pro Tools production. Twangy singsong “Ain’t No Doubt About It” is reminiscent of Brendan Benson’s Lapalco-era first person tales of boy/girl disasters (though love songs like “Douglas” aren’t going to put those Brooks and Novotny are-they-or-aren’t-they rumors to rest anytime soon.)

“We Chop Wood” is a boogie-woogie piano interlude, while their live performance of “Street Sweeper” goes for the full aging perv Jerry Lee Lewis effect. “The Way We’re Living” also has ‘50s rock and roll style, but is more The “Chirping” Crickets than High School Confidential. “50 50” and “Half A Dozen” are funny nods to The Quarrymen’s olde timey jug band skiffle – a good reminder that Heineken empties make wonderful and inexpensive instruments - and add a Wedding Crashers soundtrack element; Mungo Jerry meets Robbers On High Street. Title track “Fools On A Holiday” brings it all home in the aforementioned late ‘90s Nada Surf ballad. Damn those are well-crafted two and a half minute pop songs.