bear: a lesson in the healing power of nostalgia from Friendship Commanders

Friendship Commanders’ newest album hits all the nostalgic nerves for a few generations of listeners. From grungy guitar to no-nonsense drums and pristine vocals, they offer up an easy-to-digest meal that has something for everyone at the table.

I recently asked our Chief for an assignment. See, the world is plenty full of remarkable musicians who are actively producing quality material for us journalists to dissect, so it isn’t like I have to look very hard for inspiration. But this year, I have been the busiest I have ever been. With my career, my music, my relationship, my family, my- fill in the blank. That’s just where I’m at right now and it is mostly awesome.

I am in no way complaining, my life is incredibly fulfilling. But it has made it tough to stay on top of things with The Doom Charts and this precious side quest of mine.

But I believe that creative outlets are just as valuable and necessary in our lives as the things that pay our rent and keep the lights on. When we don’t exercise our art, whatever that may be, we suffer. At least I know I do. A cold fog sets on my mind when I neglect to write, play the bass, warble my own dreary lyrics…

Thankfully, I can simply reach out for an assignment whenever I feel stuck. So Scott sent me an album and said, “Review. You’ll love it and it will pump you up!!!“

The band name immediately caught my interest: Friendship Commanders. I was instantly reminded of Saturday morning cartoons in the late 80’s at our house in the California Bay Area. My sisters and I all cuddled up with our favorite blankets,(why doesn’t spellcheck recognize blanky?), eating the kind of cereal we only got on the weekends, watching Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Jem.

The longing for something gone, the “Saudade” we Portuguese folk often refer to, was heavy.

Friendship Commanders: Bear

But when I pushed play and the opening track, Keeping Score, hit with undeniable post punk, right out of the garage guitar and wicked tight snare drum strikes, I was no longer in Muppet footed PJs with my sisters. Instead, I was wearing guys’ button fly Levi’s jeans (because they didn’t make comfortable jeans for curvy short girls then), with my friends at the park that we wished was better for skateboarding. We all had long hair and flannels that had been our dads when they were young. Our jeans were tattered by wear and tear, and the adults in our lives often offered to buy new ones with no holes in the knees. No thanks, we had earned those rips.

While the shape and feel of the songs are decidedly time stamped in mid 90’s glory, the vocals are something other. Buick Audra, known for her vocal duet with Joss Stone on “This Little Light of Mine”, in 2010, which won Buick two Grammy Awards, is not your obvious choice for a grunge project. Her vocal character leans in a few directions. She could kill it singing blues or covering any of the lady rock-n-roll greats, Joan Jett, Hart, Patty Smyth. But what I hear most is the qualities of a solid bluegrass singer. Patty Griffin, Neko Case, and Louise Coombe all come to mind. Buick also plays guitar on this project and keeps things simple, but heavy.

Jerry Roe plays drums, bass, and synth on this album. He crushes it on every level. This guy is a pretty active session drummer in the Nashville area, and you can hear why on this record. He’s solid and adds a lot of character to the instrumental feel of Bear.

Saudade

The nostalgia response overwhelmed me during the first listen through. I didn’t know what I thought of the actual quality of the album because I couldn’t get past the sinking feeling of having been here before. The longing for something gone, the “Saudade” we Portuguese folk often refer to, was heavy. So, I reached out to friends in order to see what they thought of the album and to find some clarity on what I was feeling.

A friend in his early 30’s who is a guitar tech and an unbelievable guitarist reviewed it. He said the production quality was impressive and the album had a rather polished pop style while maintaining some heavy elements. “All in all, it’s pretty accessible.”

A fellow teacher buddy, early 50’s, loved Buicks voice and wondered why they didn’t take the guitar out of hands and just have her belt! He compared her to Leta Ford and said he wanted her voice to be more present in the mix.

My significant other, who’s a professional drummer in his mid 30’s, dug the overall pace of the album and noted the drummer is very adept at supporting the vocal presentation with no nonsense fills, solid structure, and smart flourishes. He also remarked on the album feeling like it could have been dropped in 1997 and would have dominated the radio. He likened them to Stone Temple Pilates, Alice In Chains, and Garbage.

My good friend’s daughter, 14 and a mean bass player, quickly named a few bands the album reminded her of. Paramore, early Fallout Boy, Foo Fighters, Type O Negative, Nickel Back, Pearl Jam, Hole, Sheryl Crow…She said it felt like a mix of “dad rock” grunge, and post punk.

Kid knows her stuff!

Goosebumps!

Now I was getting somewhere. These discussions helped me qualify the repeated arrector pili response the tracks illicit in my skin. Nearly all the best memories I have as a teen and young adult are rooted in music. I spent much of that time in a recording studio or at festivals and local venues listening to live music. The radio was on far more than the television ever was. And this album pulls the best ingredients from that era and stews them in a beautiful mix of flavors. It is a savory, but never decadent experience, artfully balanced.

Keeping Score opens with popping drums and leads to an incredibly singable chorus, “We’re not 17 anymore, but I’ve been keeping score”…You are given no time to rest when track two, Drain, punches you. Again, super singable chorus and Buick gets nasty with some of her wails. Dripping Silver starts to really display the attitude of the lyrical theme of the album, which seems to clearly be about a realization of having outgrown a place, a system, or an expected role.

New, track 5, is punky and prickly and poetic. “I loved you not because of you, but because of me”…”You were always you and I was always me”…”It was always going to be like this.” These lyrics grab and hold on. They replay in the brain and keep you coming back for another listen.

Track 9, Found, is again a memorable arrangement that sticks in the mind. “This is were I found you”…”Back when enough is not enough” Buick plays with some call and response vocals that are beautiful against the quick pace of the song.

The album ends with the darkest, and perhaps the only song that can be considered doom, of the record. Dead & Discarded Girls slows things down and gets heavy. Fuzzy, extra grungy breakdowns support heartbreaking and haunting vocals. There is a beautiful message to be sussed out of the lyrics here that I’ll let you listen for. The final moments of the song bring odd relief by cutting out all the effects and going starkly clean as Buick delivers one last line. Listen for it.

I didn’t name every song, but I will say that every song is worth noting. There is no filler on Bear: it is all meat and butter. As a whole, I wouldn’t classify this record as doom or even metal. It certainly has metal adjacent moments, but it leans more towards grunge and catchy rock. Friendship Commanders is a sprinkling of classic rock and punk as well, which is never a bad thing! The doom community would do well to pay attention to this project as it expertly blends modern nostalgia and moves it forward into the day light. I will say with all certainty, Bear is an instant classic.

PS.

I had a chance to go see them live in San Francisco and missed it! I would have loved to report on that! Cuss this busy stage of life!

Please forgive the self-indulgent nature of this review! They got me right in the feels with this one. I hope you they get you too.

Editorial Note: That’s how the great albums hit us! -Scott