A few years ago a friend recommended I check out The Bitter Tears, and I instantly fell in love with the two songs they offered on their website, “Murdered At The Bar” and “Grieving”. As if by an act of fate, less than a week after I heard those two songs, I stumbled across The Grinning Corpse Who Went To Town in the used bin at SoundFix in Brooklyn. I was more than happy to hear that the album had more than just those two songs; “The Marriage Hole” and “East Texas” were on par with the two stunners I’d already heard. I tried in vain to sell my friends on the band, but none of them seemed to comprehend the irreverence and wit and musical complexity of it all. They just heard a group of dudes making not-so-subtle lyrical jokes and playing bad bar rock. That’s why I decided all my friends were fucking morons, and the only friends I needed could be found in books at my local library!

So, I shaved off all my hair and turned lesbian. The pussy was great, but man oh man did the tattoos and piercings hurt!

Fast forward a few years and The Bitter Tears are preparing to release their next album, Jam Tarts In The Jakeouse. Listeners can expect more of the same from the band: a mixture of folk, country, rock and lullabies, all totally fucked up and obtuse sounding. In the same way that pieces of shit like CocoRosie throw everything at a wall in an attempt to sound “unique” and “weird,” The Bitter Tears actually pull it off without making me want to strangle and rape them to death. Their arrangements are never over-the-top, even if they include bloated brass and stringed instruments careening behind a simple progression.

“Slay The Heart Of The Earth” starts off with a bang. A woozy, stomping country-tinged rocker with triumphant horns and lyrics about…I don’t know, religion? I think it’s about a farmer who wants to kill himself, but I’m not very good at uncovering lyrical meaning. “Starlight” is one of the better numbers on the album, and along with “Hamptons” the two tracks present the most straightforward rock songs on the album.

“The Companion” might be the best example of the Bitter Tears sound. A darkly orchestrated piece with a rambling, angry vocal delivery that gives way to a lush, dare I say beautiful refrain. Accordion, strings, piano, guitars, drums and all the broken and discarded junk sews together an otherwise fucked-up and possibly directionless song.

Overall it’s a solid effort. It’s probably not going to bring the group vast critical acclaim, but the movement from The Grinning Corpse Who Went To Town to Jam Tarts In The Jakehouse is seamless, and shows a level of consistently that is sorely lacking in today’s independent/underground music scene. Far too often bands are experimenting with new sounds to the detriment of their music. I’ve never been a fan of acts who screw with formulas that work. The Bitter Tears have shown consistency, and I hope they continue to do so, as I will continue to listen and hope for more great, innovative tunes.

Jam Tarts In The Jakehouse will arrive in stores on March 3rd, 2009 courtesy of Carrot Top records.

The Bitter Tears – The Companion
The Bitter Tears – Starlight

There’s still time for you to enter the 1st Annual Swan Fungus Holiday Giveaway Contest (No Anal Required)™. Submissions are due Monday at 11:59pm PST. All you have to do is draw a picture of me, Field Commander LeVine, and caption it! You could win a fully-autographed Jesus Lizard concert poster. David Yow might even have spit or pissed or cum or bled on it at some point before it was framed!

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