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Waldo Wittenmyer EP (Review)

Waldo Wittenmyer | Waldo Wittenmyer EP (by: Chris Galis)

On any given night, a stroll down Red River will likely afford you the luxury to see the lo-fi rock music scene Austin has spent the last three or so years constructing amid various local hotspots like Beerland, Mohawk, and Club DeVille. You’re likely to come across a myriad of bands with semi-offensive names playing grungy garage, sweating in v-necks with a crowd of young, hip-looking kids clutching Lone Stars and watching the whole spectacle. This burgeoning group of bands (most recently featured in the Casual Victim Pile compilation) are slowly taking over the town, playing any and every venue and are consistently featured at Austin’s various music happening throughout the year like Free Week, Ditch the Fest Fest, Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparties, SXSW showcases, and the billion other local installments held in this town. For the most part, their success is overrated. Other than a couple of great bands, it seems that the majority of the output lacks musicality. But, like any good art movement, there is always a reaction.

Waldo Wittenmyer, formerly with the Wall of Sound, has come out of Austin ‘s 75-watt amp haze with aesthetic precision. Still working his way up the scene with backing band the Naturals, Wittenmyer’s unabashedly poppy sound is a refreshing statement for anyone who has heard enough Red River and Eastside clamour to last them throughout the year. If his eponymous debut EP is an indication of anything, it’s that he wants music to serve as a vessel for beauty, he wants it to be highly orchestrated, and he wants it to be more than just good excuse to go out and drink with your friends – although that still applies here. Young, in love, but still heartbroken, Wittenmyer’s songs embody all that is right with adolescent angst and an obsession with 60s album-pop akin to that of the Beach Boys and the Beatles.

From the get go, Wittenmyer aims dead center for the hearts of the disparate youngsters that know the rigors of college’s work/play atmosphere. “Hit the Town” is a party anthem dotted with shimmery guitar, surf-rock rhythms, and a catchy well-written hook. The recently-released music video (which you can see below this paragraph) pretty much speaks volumes about the song’s good nature, as it stands in perfect antithesis to Asher Roth’s trite opus, “I Love College” (which was a cheap shot for a radio-friendly frat sing-a-long). His straight-on approach to songwriting makes the music instantly approachable, and amplifies the affect of more emotive passages. “Tender is the Night”, a mover that hits its climax at the “fly with me” chorus, takes on a new color in a more sublime and ambient passage that slowly cascades back into the opening riff. The same black and blue timbre can also be heard on the 70s soul of “If I Could”.

Waldo Wittenmyer moves quickly through his influences. With obvious nods to the decadent arrangement of the Beach Boys and a penchant for traditional song structures, middle-eights, and bridges, Wittnemyer has created a lush album of appropriately written two-minute and fifty-second tunes that reveal one of the best ears for pop in Austin right now. “Something New” and “It’s All Over Now” aren’t the upbeat takes that decorate the majority of the EP, but they demonstrate a mature sense of one’s own sound, most notably the opening vocals on the former. If we’ve learned anything from listening to the Beatles and the Beach Boys, it’s that you can pull of a song like “Helter Skelter”, as long as you follow it with “Long, Long, Long”. It’s that creative impulse to supply two sides to everything that seems to escape much of music emerging from this town, and Wittenmyer has captured it beautifully in a little over 15 minutes. Wittenmyer’s writing precision and avoidance of any musical vamping has helped sculpt a solid pop outing and a very promising start for a great songwriter.

Waldo Wittenmyer will be releasing his EP at the Parish this Thursday with a bunch of friends. Show starts at 8. $5.

Chris Galis