In one short month, The Evangelicals have taken a hold of the music scene and shaken it clear out of its container. Press releases were flying, CDs were playing, MP3s were being downloaded the very minute that their The Evening Descends album went public.

 

The Evangelicals are a rock band born out of Nowheresville, Oklahoma that have shed their country roots and turned glam punk. The Evening Descends is a fantastic roller coaster ride of an album that runs along the themes of horror movies, insomnia, and the night. It falls into a  twisted rendition of  Brian May with a panicky pitch, a retro voice turned glam punk with a hippie vibe. A much needed fix, the band has streamlined its onslaught of background sound effects and synthetic quirks. In a 2006 interview with Pitchfork media, Evangelical frontman, Josh Jones stated, “"I think the next album is going to be like Marvin Gaye meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Life is weird and so are their songs – noteworthy dialogue between amputees and doctors,middle of the night worthy cries similar to B-movie drama and sincere, life pondering, questionnaires about domestic violence and the outcast lifestyle. Pitchfork dubs the song, "Paperback Suicide", “a simple, glockenspieled power-pop number whose breezy, blissful demeanor craftily belies its tale of a frustrated writer who kills himself just to hear his own obituary-- a requiem for every struggling artist who's pondered infamy through the afterlife.”

The band is almost entirely DIY. The lighting is set up by bands and friends, the theatrics are coordinated by the musicians, yes, they sing and dance well, and the promotion is done through a small time record label. The bands accessibility and average Joe demeanor is obviously what has gained them the most recognition. Worth a spin, I'd say.