The Entertainment System - S/T - Thick as Thieves

Review by: Jennifer Perkins

Let me pre-curse this review with the fact that I am a recovering new waver. I have Three Imaginary Boys on vinyl and I have seen Souxie and the Banshees in concert more than once. Ok, now that I am completely out of the closet I can go on with this review and tell you that there was really no way I was not going to like The Entertainment System. Faux English accents and a voice that is reminiscent of David Gahan from Depeche Mode, A Smiths cover, and all the keyboards and quirks that I loved about being a new waver. This CD made me happy, very happy.

The Entertainment System is not like a giant regression or step back in musical time. I didn't rush right out and buy a pack of clove cigarettes to smoke while I listened. The Entertainment System, who is basically Houston's Stalag Seventeen under a new pen name, manages to put enough of a modern day spin on the New Wave thing to keep the whole experience fresh rather than an orgy of nostalgia. They brought in all the elements of the bands of yesteryear as well as added some familiar 90's touches. At times they reminded me of a very raw Pulsars, and even hint at early Stereolab. If the whole thing was a little slicker I might have been lead to believe that Dave Trumfio had some sort of hand in the whole matter. The Entertainment System are doing what bands like Koufax and The Anniversary are doing, but they seem to have a more unique twist on the thing. It's like The Entertainment System really listen to their Flock of Seagulls and Gary Newman records regularly and the others just hear them once a week at retro night at the local discotheque.

The best song on the CD, well besides the cover of "Bigmouth Stikes Again" (Another name I considered for this zine was Melted Walkman, but I thought no one would get it, now I know The Entertainment System would have) BUT ANYWAY, besides The Smiths cover the best of the 8 songs on this disc is "Lucky Romans Number". There is a really melodic keyboard part that makes me want to hear the song again and again. The ending kinds of gets chaotic, which would never happen in the life of real new wave, hence that modern day spin I was hinting at earlier. "Phone Block Escort Service" almost completely abandons the whole new wave theme of the record and really augments these guys rocker roots as well as shows they are not afraid to mess up their hair and show a little muscle.

New Wave is the easiest term to pigeonhole these guys with. Yes it fits, but they have so many other feathers in their caps. So many other musical influences seem to rear their heads throughout this CD and show that this in fact is a very diverse and innovative band. The Entertainment System are really bringing some much needed novelty and umph to the whole Flash Back lunch hour obsession.

Read where Thick As Thieves got their name from here.