"Leaving Normalville Behind"
05/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an article on the band Cherrysmash from the newspaper THE BARSTOOL from early 2000, when they were still known as "Euphoria":"If you haven't seen Virginia's Euphoria performing lately, not to worry. The modern/alternative rock band didn't split up, they've just been in the studio polishing off their upcoming CD, View from the Floor. Slated for release in February, the album follows up 1998's EP Another Night In Normalville, the first effort featuring newcomers Jon Bumbrey and Dan Aylestock in addition to founders Shane Heselius and Eric Kern.Since forming in 1994, the group has quickly established themselves as a "next-big-thing" prospect. Catchy, upbeat tunes, a super tight act honed through hundreds of gigs up and down the East Coast, and extensive radio support on more than 60 college stations have contributed to their rapid rise. With "View from the Floor", the group may well achieve national prominence.Recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington starting in 1998, View from the Floor reprises the four tracks from Another Night In Normalville and adds 8 new compositions. According to Kern, the new CD represents a major progression from their previous efforts, and he's quick to spread the credit, citing the contribution of Producer Don Zientara, regionally renowned for his work with groups including Fugazi, Shudder To Think, and Jawbox. "Don is a class act professional with a great ear and a real understanding for what we've been trying to achieve," Kern raved. "He's got a really good mind for questions like 'Which parts stay and which parts don't".Euphoria clearly picked the right pieces to keep and discard on the new album, as evidenced by tracks like "In A Rut." A slow starting tune that launches into a full-throated, heavily distorted chorus, it combines the intensity of Nirvana with the superior musical chops and more polished sound of the Foo Fighters. On "Normalville", the band displays a subversive sense of humor, pairing a lazy dum-de-dum chord progression that wouldn't sound out of place in a Country Time Lemonade commercial with Lyrics like:"Hey God, did you drop the ball? 'cause we don't to be normal at all. We don't want to be, full of apathy We don't want to be, just a casualty. We don't want to be normal.""F.Y.98" - which was recently selected to appear on a compilation CD being released by Xytar later this year - mingles punk and pop to achieve a Green Day/Blink 182 effect. Fast, catchy and unforgettable, it's the kind of song you'd want on the mix tape you crank in your car on the way home from work or before you head out partying on the weekend.Unlike the band's 1996 debut CD, grin, their latest effort wasn't recorded under strict time and budget constraints, and it shows. "On this album we decided not to push but to take the time to really make sure each part was where it should be, " Kern explained. "I think that time and effort really shows in the vocals, in the production, in the overall professionalism." Kern also points to the addition of Aylestock and Bumbrey as a key factor in the band's increasingly polished sound. "[They] have been instrumental in adding an enormous layer of professionalism and creativity to the music, as well as helping to generate an all around good vibe," he said.Three in Three? Though the band enjoyed working at their own pace on the new album, they've set the extremely aggressive goal of releasing three CD's in the next three years. "We've got so much good material and it's not all available at our shows and it's really kind of a shame," Kern noted. "So if you like our upcoming disc, you hopefully won't have to wait long for more, since we plan to get right back in the studio...and start working on the next one."They also plan to resume their hectic live schedule, including a local show at Velvet Lounge on Tuesday, February 1. In the meantime, you can find soundclips, schedules, band bios and more on their website. They also have sound clips on MP3.com, Amazon.com, Riffage.com, Smallhall.com and a variety of other websites. Their current release can be found at Borders and Tower Records, among others.""
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1