If you're one of those looking for the next wistful indie band to add
to your pretentious music collection of lesser-knowns, or if you're
just one of those schmucks still looking for some incredible music,
Say Hi to Your Mom is a dream come true. Say Hi to Your Mom, also known
as singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Eric Elbogen, is the unknown band
whose name you nonchalantly throw around to prove your musical superiority.
In this case, though, Elbogen has the goods to back up his underground
(read: college radio) appeal. For me, it was love at first listen. And
second. And third.
Say Hi to Your Mom, a (formerly one man) group based in Brooklyn, New
York, and conceived in 2002, seems to have broken the barriers of the
now tedious indie scene. Elbogen has that witty, impeccably deep, and
cynical sense of humor that oozes coolness, demonstrated in both his
lyrics as well as in interviews. A lyrical master, Elbogen manages to
touch on just about every major pop reference of our generation in his
music: "Back in the 80s, she wanted to be in a hair band / then
in the 90s, she only wore corduroy pants / and then there was emo, but
that was just a phase / 'cause it's all been downhill since Sunny Day
Real Estate's / first record" (from "Pop Music of the Future").
On the other hand, the band's not as serious as I'm implying. Elbogen
says, to cite one example, "Bands take themselves too seriously.
I try as hard as I can not to take myself seriously at all." Oh,
and a little disclaimer for all the intrigued: the band's name is not
intended to be some sort of witty retort to ever-so-common "Yo
Momma" jokes; it's not even that tired and no-longer-biting comeback.
It simply has to do with Midwestern politeness along the vein of "Say
hi to your mom for me!"
…Sometimes, it's so simple it hurts.
On the surface, Say Hi's musical appeal comes from synth-laden "geek-rock"
imbued with the catchiness of a slightly-off-mainstream alternative
pop. A closer look, however, provides a more, we'll call it insightful,
realization. With a writing style that resembles the seemingly random
ramblings of your everyday unnoticed and underappreciated genius, Say
Hi to Your Mom gives your modern-day indie the jumpstart it needs. In
the band's official biography, it states amidst a flurry of off-hand
statements and non sequiturs written in an attempt to describe the band
a less trite and more conceptual way, "Say Hi To Your Mom simultaneously
defies and enforces physics. We're the mumbling in your head while you're
crunching the numbers…You once tried to call us and the line was
busy, but that was actually just us making busy signal noises with our
mouths. If you would have called back we would have cooked you some
pasta." With this attitude, Say Hi to Your Mom has become something
of a creative, musical enigma, often drawing from the relatable emotions
of our generation, as demonstrated when Elbogen sings, "Let's talk
about spaceships, or anything except you and me, okay?" in "Let's
Talk About Spaceships." The combination of an insightful understanding
of the feelings of us youngsters, the upbeat guitar melodies and pounding
backbeats, and the unkempt, soft, near-whimpering sound of Elbogen's
voice create a masterful album in Say Hi's sophomore release, Numbers
& Mumbles.
Now, here's the fun part: what to look forward to. There's a third album
coming out some time in the near future as yet unannounced. Also, with
the addition of a full-time band, Elbogen hopes to be able to expand
touring schedules. The Say Hi to Your Mom movement is growing steadily
daily, as more and more loveable fans latch on to the ramblings of Eric
Elbogen's music. In his words, however, "I guess that is what Say
Hi is more than anything else: one big ramble, shackled by the confines
of poetry, the pop song, a measly budget for artwork and some html coding."
For more information, visit the band's official website at [http://www.sayhitoyourmom.com].
Check it out. I can guarantee you'll love it.
