BED DESTROYERS

"Sell Your Soul to Yourself"

By Whitney Weiss

 

Wouldn’t it be great if one of your favorite bands could seamlessly transition from hypnotic IDM to crotch-grabbing hip-hop? Wouldn’t it be even cooler if they could write beautiful sorrowful pop songs and odes to powerful sex while sounding like a hornier version of The Postal Service? Look no further than your own backyard, Jacksonville, because the Bed Destroyers are doing all of this and more.

"Sell Your soul to Yourself", The Bed Destroyers’ first full-length, is all material written and recorded by Lucien and Fin (a.k.a. Luke Walker and Allan Leavell, one half of Start Trouble). What separates Start Trouble from the Bed Destroyers? Variety. Luke Walker, as much as his bravado sometimes attracts people who love to hate, is a fucking talented songwriter. When he decides to lean in the direction of booty bass, he has full command over what he’s doing. He never sounds like a lost musician out of his element, whether it’s rapping or reaching notes of a Prince-like caliber; rather the extremely diverse songs on this album make you wonder if there’s anything this boy can’t do.

Furthermore, there’s content on here that could bowl over the indie crowd, wow big-league critics, and find itself a place on the radio. Postal Service fans would drop their jaws if they heard "Satellites," no critic could deny that "Faults of the Earth" is a perfect indie-pop song, and "Dang!" could make heads bob as much as anything by Slim Shady or Ludacris. Add to that music that would pack club floors and straightforward rockers, and you have pretty much everything you could. And all from one artist? Spectacular.

But it’s not just about impressing people. The songs on this album are accessible. You’ll be singing the chorus of "Median" the second time you hear it. You’ll end up putting half the songs on this CD on mixes for your friends. And you’ll definitely upload the whole thing to your IPod. Here’s to hoping for more recognition, because this album is amazing. I’ll bet all my credibility points on you being impressed. Go to www.beddestroyers.com and buy this CD.

-Whitney Weiss