"Walking home in the dark I can see your light on / Carrying my shoes as I stumble by / Feeling kinda dizzy, caught up in this light / A little unstable, a little bitty lie..."
The 50's rock rumble / early aughts doo wop punk dreaminess of "Shine" by Atlanta's The Yum Yum Tree, and from their first brand new album (in 19 years) "Turn Down the Noise", feels wonderfully drawn and raw like found footage of the best Georgia house party back in the day. The sound here, for me is nostalgic and personally so, an aesthetic as home made as the pop up venues that I haunted in the back of bike shops in LA or vintage clothing stores in Orange County or in between buildings in industrial parks populated by a sense of community that reminds me of DIY indie rock / doo wop punk artists like La Sera, Vivian Girls, Upset, Mika Miko that were exploding in similar such communities all over the country in the mid to late aughts (primarily).
I am loving the gentle yet thunderous drums, the jangly guitar, the wanderlustful bass lines courtesy of Andy Gish, and of course, her evocative vocal countenance that manages to wink and smile at you while offering soft gut punches too. She shares: "Shine is about wanting something that doesn’t belong to you, being able to sit with that and still wanting the best for them."
It's funny, this sound, aesthetic, along with iterations of post punk, iterations of late 70's folk rock and iterations of crust punk seem to be coming back around in earnest ways. Maybe it is a sign of the times or a reaction to these times that are so incredibly uncertain and feel in many ways more bleak than hopeful. I don't know.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[The band’s first release since Paint By Numbers, hailed by critics as “one of the best Atlanta albums of 2007” (EvilSponge), the new 10-song collection explores a spectrum of relationships, from family and friends who “call late at night [and] ask for my advice,” to “complicated boys,” to those ill-fated romances that you wish to remember just so you “won’t ever want it back.”
These situations set to song urge the listener to navigate through the “noise” of our often messy, confusing, chaotic world, to ultimately arrive at something real and honest. It’s a mindset that TYYT bassist, singer, and primary songwriter Andy Gish admits didn’t come easily.
“We create so much doubt in ourselves ... by the time I got to the point where I thought, Yes, this is worth recording, a lot of work had gone into the songs,” she reflects, acknowledging that time might have been just what the songs needed for them to so seamlessly coalesce. “I’m a very different person,” Gish explains, “I probably wouldn’t have written those songs in 2010; I wouldn’t have had the same perspective.” This perspective, she adds, has helped her come to accept a degree of responsibility she may have evaded in the past. “It’s a lot harder to be vulnerable and introspective and put yourself in a place where you accept your own responsibility and still want something good for the other person,” she attests.]
[Perhaps a by-product of her 20+ years spent as an ER nurse, combined with her work in harm reduction, Gish is likely more comfortable than most when it comes to addressing challenging topics head-on. “That is where I live,” she laughs.]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT lyrics:
Carrying my shoes as I stumble by
Feeling kinda dizzy, caught up in this light
A little unstable, a little bitty lie
But I want you to shine, oh oh
Even if you’re not mine, oh oh, whoa
I’m driving on empty, can't find my way home
I’ll stay here a little while, but I can’t stay long
Bad at following rules, caught up in this light
I can’t call a truce on this war inside
But I want you to shine, oh, whoa
Even if you’re not mine, oh oh, whoa
So what if I’m a little bit crazy,
A little bit wild
Give up on all the sanity
And jump into the fire
I’m not afraid to move on,
I’m afraid to move at all
The slightest indiscretion,
lose my balance and I’ll fall
But I’m not afraid of the break
Because it’ll mend in time
I’m not afraid of fire,
I’m afraid of all the ice
Let’s get a little bit crazy,
A little bit wild
Give up on all the sanctity
And jump into the fire
Yeah, I want you to shine, oh oh
Even if you’re not mine, oh oh
Yeah, I want you to shine, oh, oh
Even if you’re not mine
Even if you’re not mine
Even if you’re not mine
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/theyumyumtreeatl/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063226028518
https://theyumyumtree.bandcamp.com/album/turn-down-the-noise
https://theyumyumtree.org/
While “turn down” isn’t exactly the sentiment you’d expect a rock band to center an album around, Atlanta, GA’s The Yum Yum Tree encourages just that on their captivating new full-length Turn Down the Noise.
The band’s first release since Paint By Numbers, hailed by critics as “one of the best Atlanta albums of 2007” (EvilSponge), the new 10-song collection explores a spectrum of relationships, from family and friends who “call late at night [and] ask for my advice,” to “complicated boys,” to those ill-fated romances that you wish to remember just so you “won’t ever want it back.”
These situations set to song urge the listener to navigate through the “noise” of our often messy, confusing, chaotic world, to ultimately arrive at something real and honest. It’s a mindset that TYYT bassist, singer, and primary songwriter Andy Gish admits didn’t come easily.
“We create so much doubt in ourselves ... by the time I got to the point where I thought, Yes, this is worth recording, a lot of work had gone into the songs,” she reflects, acknowledging that time might have been just what the songs needed for them to so seamlessly coalesce. “I’m a very different person,” Gish explains, “I probably wouldn’t have written those songs in 2010; I wouldn’t have had the same perspective.” This perspective, she adds, has helped her come to accept a degree of responsibility she may have evaded in the past. “It’s a lot harder to be vulnerable and introspective and put yourself in a place where you accept your own responsibility and still want something good for the other person,” she attests.
Perhaps a by-product of her 20+ years spent as an ER nurse, combined with her work in harm reduction, Gish is likely more comfortable than most when it comes to addressing challenging topics head-on. “That is where I live,” she laughs. This confidence is evident in the album’s self-assured, deliberate production as well as such provoking lyrics as “I’ll never know unless I try” in the title track and “What could you accomplish if you weren’t afraid to fail” in album standout “Follow You Anywhere.”
Recorded primarily at DAN DIXON’s RCRD studios in Peoplestown-Atlanta, GA, with the exception of a few songs (the catchy singalong “My Corner” and head-bobbing, nostalgic “Porchlight” with Atlantan Greg Wright, and the aforementioned “Follow You Anywhere” at PETER GABRIEL’s Real World Studios in Box, England), the culmination is a beautiful noise reminiscent, at times, of the best alt-angst of the 90s (think PJ Harvey, The Breeders, or
While “turn down” isn’t exactly the sentiment you’d expect a rock band to center an album around, Atlanta, GA’s The Yum Yum Tree encourages just that on their captivating new full-length Turn Down the Noise.
The band’s first release since Paint By Numbers, hailed by critics as “one of the best Atlanta albums of 2007” (EvilSponge), the new 10-song collection explores a spectrum of relationships, from family and friends who “call late at night [and] ask for my advice,” to “complicated boys,” to those ill-fated romances that you wish to remember just so you “won’t ever want it back.”
These situations set to song urge the listener to navigate through the “noise” of our often messy, confusing, chaotic world, to ultimately arrive at something real and honest. It’s a mindset that TYYT bassist, singer, and primary songwriter Andy Gish admits didn’t come easily.
“We create so much doubt in ourselves ... by the time I got to the point where I thought, Yes, this is worth recording, a lot of work had gone into the songs,” she reflects, acknowledging that time might have been just what the songs needed for them to so seamlessly coalesce. “I’m a very different person,” Gish explains, “I probably wouldn’t have written those songs in 2010; I wouldn’t have had the same perspective.” This perspective, she adds, has helped her come to accept a degree of responsibility she may have evaded in the past. “It’s a lot harder to be vulnerable and introspective and put yourself in a place where you accept your own responsibility and still want something good for the other person,” she attests.
Perhaps a by-product of her 20+ years spent as an ER nurse, combined with her work in harm reduction, Gish is likely more comfortable than most when it comes to addressing challenging topics head-on. “That is where I live,” she laughs. This confidence is evident in the album’s self-assured, deliberate production as well as such provoking lyrics as “I’ll never know unless I try” in the title track and “What could you accomplish if you weren’t afraid to fail” in album standout “Follow You Anywhere.”
Recorded primarily at DAN DIXON’s RCRD studios in Peoplestown-Atlanta, GA, with the exception of a few songs (the catchy singalong “My Corner” and head-bobbing, nostalgic “Porchlight” with Atlantan Greg Wright, and the aforementioned “Follow You Anywhere” at PETER GABRIEL’s Real World Studios in Box, England), the culmination is a beautiful noise reminiscent, at times, of the best alt-angst of the 90s (think PJ Harvey, The Breeders, or
perhaps a female-fronted Superchunk) and at others a moodier Best Coast or La Sera.
While TYYT’s most obvious musical comfort zone seems to be catchy, guitar-driven bops, the band isn’t afraid to turn it down a bit—the moody and mellifluous “Lion’s Heart” sounds like what might happen if Hope Sandoval guested on a Death Cab for Cutie tune; similarly, the cinematic “Weak at the Knees” (which Gish refers to as “one of the first songs I wrote that was really vulnerable”) sounds tailor-made for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, building to a beautiful conclusion that underscores her formidable vocal talents.
Referring to the inspiration for the song, a particularly challenging time in her career during which she was dealt several personal losses nearly simultaneously, Gish explains that she found herself uncharacteristically wearied to the point of questioning her capacity for helping others. “I didn’t have anything left,” Gish laments, evidenced by the song’s siren statement: “If you lean on me, we’re gonna fall tonight.”
Gish points to Brené Brown as an inspiration for her vulnerable approach to lyrics, noting that she believes it’s in that uncomfortable space that real conversations—and change— happen. She references also the work of John K. Samson (The Weakerthans) as the metric by which she judges her songwriting, citing specifically his talent for enlivening the mundane and reflecting universality through specificity. Influences notwithstanding, "Turn Down the Noise" is a crystal-clear capture of a band with a distinct, commanding presence and an inspired history, one that reflects the sort of depth and breadth that can only be realized from investing decades in the Atlanta music scene, both as performers and concertgoers. Gish and her bandmates (her husband Matt Harr plays drums; long-time friend John McNicholas, a talented songwriter and YouTube content creator/guitar instructor, rounds out the trio) can often be seen supporting their friends’ bands at various Atlanta-area venues, so it’s more than fitting that the album’s liner notes conclude with a mission statement of sorts, encouraging listeners to “make art, be kind and support independent artists.”
"Turn Down the Noise" connects as it challenges, uncovering more nuance with each listen. It has a way of exuding a comfort with the uncomfortable, remaining introspective without resorting to navel-gazing or overly specific anecdotes. Most remarkably, it reminds us that it’s not only ok—it’s essential—to “remember the bad,” thoughtfully examine the parts of our past we aren’t necessarily proud of, and confidently confront the things we’ve grown accustomed to not talking about.
While TYYT’s most obvious musical comfort zone seems to be catchy, guitar-driven bops, the band isn’t afraid to turn it down a bit—the moody and mellifluous “Lion’s Heart” sounds like what might happen if Hope Sandoval guested on a Death Cab for Cutie tune; similarly, the cinematic “Weak at the Knees” (which Gish refers to as “one of the first songs I wrote that was really vulnerable”) sounds tailor-made for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, building to a beautiful conclusion that underscores her formidable vocal talents.
Referring to the inspiration for the song, a particularly challenging time in her career during which she was dealt several personal losses nearly simultaneously, Gish explains that she found herself uncharacteristically wearied to the point of questioning her capacity for helping others. “I didn’t have anything left,” Gish laments, evidenced by the song’s siren statement: “If you lean on me, we’re gonna fall tonight.”
Gish points to Brené Brown as an inspiration for her vulnerable approach to lyrics, noting that she believes it’s in that uncomfortable space that real conversations—and change— happen. She references also the work of John K. Samson (The Weakerthans) as the metric by which she judges her songwriting, citing specifically his talent for enlivening the mundane and reflecting universality through specificity. Influences notwithstanding, "Turn Down the Noise" is a crystal-clear capture of a band with a distinct, commanding presence and an inspired history, one that reflects the sort of depth and breadth that can only be realized from investing decades in the Atlanta music scene, both as performers and concertgoers. Gish and her bandmates (her husband Matt Harr plays drums; long-time friend John McNicholas, a talented songwriter and YouTube content creator/guitar instructor, rounds out the trio) can often be seen supporting their friends’ bands at various Atlanta-area venues, so it’s more than fitting that the album’s liner notes conclude with a mission statement of sorts, encouraging listeners to “make art, be kind and support independent artists.”
"Turn Down the Noise" connects as it challenges, uncovering more nuance with each listen. It has a way of exuding a comfort with the uncomfortable, remaining introspective without resorting to navel-gazing or overly specific anecdotes. Most remarkably, it reminds us that it’s not only ok—it’s essential—to “remember the bad,” thoughtfully examine the parts of our past we aren’t necessarily proud of, and confidently confront the things we’ve grown accustomed to not talking about.
The Yum Yum Tree, Atlanta Georgia, led by singer songwriter / musician Andy Gish, Award Winning ER Nurse, indie rock, indie punk, doo wop punk, "Shine" (Official Video), jangle pop, new album "Turn Down the Noise",
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