PUJOL – Alive at the Same Time EP (Turbo Time Records, 2010)

by Rebecca Seung on Dec 02^nd, 2010

Imagine watching a grainy old home movie of a beach, in the middle of summer, the sun brightly shining on sun burnt shoulders with sweet smiles of kids who are still young enough to believe in romance. Now take that picture and put it in a yet-to-be-invented gadget that turns images into songs and you have PUJOL’s newest EP Alive at the Same Time from Turbo Time Records.

The Nashville based band takes upbeat garage pop and frosts it with a scuzzy layer of bleached out surf rock that highlights a sort of duality between the past and present, balancing wistful nostalgia with a youthful excitement for the future. Daniel Pujol, the slut of the Nashville scene — who has created, assisted, and collaborated with so many bands, he likely knows or has worked with any band you can name –  is joined by Sean Thompson on guitar, Joseph Scala on bass, and Adam Tanaka on drums.

The four-song EP kicks off with the introductions to “a true blue ox sitting in the tigers den”, shouting out “I’m alive in 2010″ so often (track: “Blue Ox”), it’s like he’s surprised to find that’s true, and I have to wonder what kind of war he expected to lose in 2009. But, while “Blue Ox” might celebrate being alive, the next song “Butterfly Knife” crawls back down to a quietly stagnant hermit cave, “closing the blinds, sitting by myself and being quiet” with an almost desperate plea “don’t look at me baby.” The music is optimistically bright, proving that PUJOL is every bit as complex and mysterious as they try to be.  “Keeper of Atlantis” is the perfect transition; a feel good song about being nice because “even if nobody ever understands, there will be a few along the way who will let you do a good thing every day.” Rounding out the album is the ballad “Dark Haired Suitor,” which champions the loners, the misunderstood, and the just plain unpopular, making references to the ill-fated characters of King Kong and Romeo, but nevertheless persevering in the quest for “a kind of love that is true” and ultimately finding one that is “moving at a steady pace to an even better place that’s maybe never ending.” Whether it does is yet to be seen, but PUJOL brings such a sincere enthusiasm, you can tell that girl is gonna be spoiled and probably with lots of pretty flowers. It’s a short set of ups and downs that will keep your toes tapping and your heart melted.

You can celebrate the holidays with a special show at The End on New Years Eve, highlighting some of the best of Nashville with Turbo Fruits, Natural Child, and Cy joining PUJOL on the bill. This psychedelic power pop band is just getting started, with other recent releases through Infinity Cat and Third Man Records and being names one of Spin Magazine’s “5 Hot Nashville Bands,” so be sure to keep an eye out for these up-and-comers. Blink, and you could miss it.