Illinois - Screen Door

In Pennsylvania there are curiously named cities and towns. Perhaps top on the list, is Intercourse, but let’s ignore that for now.

If you go out west, there is California, PA and somewhere else is Indiana, PA.

And now, there is an Illinois in Pennsylvania.

Bucks County band, Illinois.

Illinois’s song Screen Door has nothing to do with the Uncle Tupelo song of the same name although comparisons can be inferred. Illinois’s country roots show a little, seeping through the Shins-style indie folk.

What gets me about this song is also what gets to me. Illinois singer Chris Archibald has a little twang in his voice, that at times resembles the Cold War Kids. But I really like Illinois and don’t really like Cold War Kids. The difference I think is affect. That twang doesn’t show up in every song. It’s like it was added later to improve the song. But with CWK, the vocal style is supposed to invoke a southern blues tradition, its integral to the music.

I guess what else that bothers me about this song is the sound of a backwoods country band of good ole boys is invoked in their bio. As if, this sound was created by their environment.

I grew up in Bucks County, but I’m no authority on the subject. But if I had to say something about the sound, Ween would definitely be our most important output, but not evocative of a certain style. If anything I would point to bands to come out of Bucks County like This Day Forward and A Life Once Lost.

To me that would be the sound of Bucks County. Not to rag on the band, I think they're pretty great and I'm looking forward to hearing their EP

What the Hell Do I Know? comes out March 6 on Ace Fu Records.

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