CD of The Week

Left Field Messiah - In Praise of Bombast (Riptide)

Since the split of ‘00s dance-rockers Hot Hot Heat, frontman Steve Bays has kept busy producing other artists while popping up with his own music from time to time. Bays’ newest project is Left Field Messiah, a collaboration with Jeremy Ruzumna (Fitz and The Tantrums) and Erik Janson (Wildling). The result is In Praise of Bombast, mixing and melding a variety of genres to create an indie-pop sound of their own.

In Praise of Bombast kicks off with the Tame Impala-ish opener “Are You Ready” as Bays sings in more of a falsetto than usual. In fact, for a singer with such a distinct voice, he pushes it in a few different directions here. Our first taste of the album was the herky-jerky rocker “Fuzz Machine,” where he sometimes ends up in a more screeching end of his singing voice.

“AM Moonlight” has a definite 80s R&B influence while there’s a Motown undercurrent in “Pink Flamingos.” On their current single “Feels Like Summer,” a sunny haze lingers, reminiscent of MGMT as well as R.E.M.’s own album-length ode to summer, Reveal.

Left Field Messiah allows allowing Bays to stretch beyond the anxious alt-pop of his old band and continue to play with different ideas. Fitting in just nine songs in about a half-hour, In Praise of Bombast is a worthy soundtrack to the hot hot heat of the summertime.
Review by Joey O.