Thinking Man’s Pop: The Orange Peels – “Stealing Days”

The Orange Peels

“Stealing Days”

Trepassing

There is something totally refreshing about The Orange Peels.  Some have said that they have an ’80’s feel to them.  If it is, it’s that breeziness of The Bangles, but there is something more substantive and hard-rocking.  Made up of Allen Clapp on vocals, guitars and keyboards; Jill Pries on bass; John Moremen on lead guitars; and Gabriel Coan on drums.  Clapp says about “Stealing Days”:

“The band throws shards of guitars, wheezing vintage synths, and enormous programmed drums over an undulating bassline. The message here is a recurring theme on the album: Are we tearing down everything that makes us human? Are we able to evolve into a species that can treat each other with love and respect? How do we deal with those destructive people in our existence? Are we just Trespassing here? It’s no ‘What the World Needs Now.’ It’s a dystopian pop song where people tear each other down to build themselves up. It’s a lot like life.”

This is what I mean by the harder hitting feel to this record.  It is thinking man’s pop; pop in the very best sense, unseen since the punk/DIY attitude destroyed the conventional idea of pop.  I love this band.  I am a sucker for a great guitar band.  This is the music I put on today for my walk around in the snow.  Best pop band out there.  Way to go guys.