Grand Ole Party is one of the freshest bands to come on the music scene in the last few years. They came together in 2006 after meeting at Santa Cruz University in California. Humanimals is their debut album and they have already started touring along side of Rilo Kiley. Kristin Gundred is not only the lead singer of Grand Ole Party, but is also their drummer. It's absolutely phenomenal to hear her as she belts out lyrics in a similar fashion to Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. At times Karen doesn't hold the same rich tones that Kristin produces. This is especially true on their track “Insane,” Kristin yells out, “We are all going to die here, might as well say goodbye dear” and finishes it off by spelling out I-N-S-A-N-E over and over to her captivated listeners. The album starts itself off, “Look out young son” which is brought to life with an eerie guitar line that sounds similar to Halloween themed intro that vibrates with energy. Their California roots set a few songs apart as they send over the wavelengths a beachy “California Dreaming” feel, and “Belle Isle” is the best song to compare to it on this album.
At first listen, this album it is very exciting. It is full of electric energy, solid vocals and drumming from Ms. Kristin, the grinning guitar lines of John Paul Labno, and the heart steady bass sounds of Micheal Krechnyak. This trio meshes extraordinary well together, especially with their unusual set up. After listening to the record more than once, the excitement feeling starts to ebb and the songs though still catchy and fun, begin to sound less different. I hope they come out with another album soon, because it would be cool to see how this talented band grows from this successful point on.
