Wait! Has Tambourine Girlfriend gone and covered all of Irving Berlin's songs from the classic musical film Easter Parade? Not quite. Instead they've taken all the song titles and turned them into original songs — in essence creating an Easter-themed indie pop album. Is this one of the most ridiculous concepts for an album I've ever come across? No doubt. But do I totally love it? Abso-freaking-lutely! Tambourine Girlfriend are Mike and Rusty from the wonderful holiday podcast Snow in Southtown. Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade was conceived as a joke on the show, and then it became a real thing. It was originally created as bonus content for the show's short-lived Patreon. Now the album is available for the listening enjoyment of the whole wide world.
I've been known to review Christmas, Halloween, and even Thanksgiving-themed releases before, but this is certainly my first time writing about an Easter album. If you can get past the absurdity of the concept, you will discover in Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade a delightful and legit-good pop record. The album may have started out as a goof, but Mike and Rusty put tremendous love and care into these songs. As they do on the air, Mike and Rusty complement each other really well. Rusty's whimsical, endearingly geeky indie rock numbers alternate with Mike's melody-driven pop earworms, creating a flow that's enjoyable to the ears. In some of these cases, the songs turn out even better than their Easter Parade counterparts (I'm not above a little blasphemy during Holy Week). Of course I've reviewed Mike's band Vista Blue three or four times, and a few of these tracks could pass for Vista Blue songs. "I Want To Get Back To Michigan" is like a bonus Vista Blue single, and "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" actually appears on an official VB release. But Mike breaks from the pop-punk style on a lot of his contributions to this album — showing sides of himself we don't often hear on Vista Blue releases. He channels Oasis on "We're a Couple of Swells," one of the best tunes he's ever written. "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" is a dandy little baroque/indie pop gem. "Better Luck Next Time" makes it clear that a Mike Patton acoustic album would be a must-buy. Rusty's songs are equally good. "Happy Easter" immediately rises to the level of a holiday standard. "Beautiful Faces Need Beautiful Clothes" sounds like the best song Bobby Wratten never wrote. "Drum Crazy" is truly beautiful and sure to touch the heart of any music lover.
As a writer, I find the whole premise of taking existing song titles and turning them into new songs an utterly fascinating exercise. Sometimes a funny idea can open the door to true inspiration. Don't let these jokers fool you: they are way more talented than they'd ever let on. Even if you have little interest in baskets of chocolate, giant bunnies, or the salvation of humanity, Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade has plenty to offer you. And if you're a fan of holidays, pop culture, and holiday pop culture, I highly recommend adding Snow In Southtown to your podcast rotation. Happy Easter!
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