All those guys had the sort of strangulated Lou Reed/Tom Verlaine inflections on their voices, and I had to really hold back from my real range. “I was listening to Pavement and stuff like that. “You wouldn’t recognize the voice,” he says. Not that you could tell that from his early recordings. When it comes to singing, Johnson, 33, has had to come to terms with his unique voice, which is high, creaky, and displays an extensive range, depending on the song. The band’s new fourth album, The Ruminant Band, released just two weeks ago, should lead to even bigger things, rife as it is with ’70s-style guitar rock, twangy vignettes about life in the city and the country, and a slew of perfectly realized details to linger over, like the saloon piano of “The Hobo Girl” and the sugar-frosted keys of the closing “Flamingo.” And I’d hope to think Fruit Bats are like that for people.” Laughing, he adds, “I try to be catchy, though, if I can.”įollowing 2001’s Echolocation and 2003’s Sub Pop debut Mouthfuls, 2005’s Spelled in Bones was a triumph for Fruit Bats, garnering breathless praise and more commercial attention. The stuff I like the best takes a couple times. “I appreciate a subtle approach in general. “I never really thought of it, but that definitely could be,” he muses. When he’s not involved with Fruit Bats, Johnson is invariably touring and juggling duties in the backdrop of other bands. Johnson’s longtime role as a sideman in other bands, from Califone and Isaac Brock’s project Ugly Casanova to the Shins and Vetiver. That could have something to do with leader Eric D. A cult favorite and a low-key fixture on Sub Pop’s roster, Fruit Bats are one of those rare bands that may not quite grab you on first listen but winds up seeping into your system in the end.
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