Picture a bulk-bin suicide: a mix of your favorite treats from those plastic food dispensers found in grocery stores. On their self-released debut, The Delicious took this approach to songwriting; dissecting their loves and combining the goods, seeking to play joyous, spontaneous, spastic pop, free from over-thought composition and self-serious brooding. Ghettoblaster Magazine succinctly described the result: "The Delicious balance pop smarts and remarkable musicianship with a knack for unpredictable song structure and clever lyrics. All the right influences are intact (Pavement, Weezer, Neutral Milk Hotel), and the complex arrangements and time changes make things much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill power pop."
The Delicious The Delicious now sees reissue with the help of Joyful Noise Recordings and Decimal Records. The album combines a healthy helping of awkward honesty with plenty of wide-eyed, jazz-driven perplexity into a dash of pure joy that will be fully appreciated by fans of Deerhoof, the Mae Shi, or Man Man. The Delicious have a knack for adding a timeless element to their work: handclaps and falsetto oooh's are in generous supply alongside shimmering guitars, ear-twisting harmonies, and propulsive rhythms. The production is crystal clear, the songs are quirky and bold, the instrumentation diverse. The melodies are whimsical, unexpected, and catchy as hell.
The Delicious are sincere without being sappy, clever without being pretentious. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics come off as sarcastic, but -
"There is a respectful smirking underneath the band's laidback current that lets you know that hell yeah they care. Everything you hear comes at you in a playful way that marries the idea of getting together with the chums to just bang out some songs... and also of being maniacally attentive of the effects that all of the jubilance and smart-talking could have on the outsiders. For some reason, the Delicious give off a feeling of the madcap hijinx of JJ McClure & Captain Chaos... making nipple jokes around Farrah Fawcett... and the thesis paper or a scientific survey that feeds us data that tells us that one in every six Americans worries about being hit by a semi tractor or a school bus once every two weeks."
- Sean Moeller, Daytrotter
Pop songs about social & dietary anxiety rub elbows with absurd ballads, foot-stomping dance-ditties and heart-wrenching sing-alongs, but every moment manages to retain its element of surprise on repeat listens.
