Harry Katz is a music historian, and the Pistachios may be some of the most talented musicians around. The Los Angeles band often features classic rock, blues, and soul, with a bit of a punk rock attitude and a DIY work ethic. If you follow the band on social media, you’ll see that nearly every day, Harry Katz will play a single from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s on vinyl and talk about the history of the song, the inspirations and influences, and more. He has a wealth of musical knowledge, especially on the history of the industry, but also of the art and craft of music. It’s this encyclopedic knowledge and love that allows the band to sound so unique. They’re not reinventing the wheel or creating something new; they are taking some of the best aspects from every corner of the musical world over the last 80 years and putting them through their own filter, thereby creating greatness.
For their new EP, The Last To Know, on Circle Back Records, they decided to make a 2 Tone ska album. It’s as if they listened to The Specials, Madness, the Beat, and then added in every previous influence they had, big band, R&B, Blues, jazz, soul, and rock and roll. It feels like they poured their heart into these four songs, like this was the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of work and passion. What feels like a magnum opus may instead just be the byproduct of an incredible level of talent that has spent years honing their craft to the point where everything they touch becomes a masterpiece. It’s Elvis Costello meets Tom Waits meets Madness meets Postmodern Jukebox. Whatever it is, you need to hear it for yourself to understand.
The record begins with “Yonkers”, and for anyone first discovering this band, you get to discover Harry Katz’s vocals for the first time. They are uniquely deep and especially raspy, to the point where it feels a little off when you first hear it. But it quickly grows on you as a part of what makes the band so special. The chorus of “There’s no joy in Yonkers” mixes with the descriptions of going through old photo albums after the passing of their mother. There is a heavy sadness to the song, as it addresses going back and seeing your childhood in boxes, remembering that there was a time when everyone was close. It’s about a lost time and the knowledge that when you pass, those memories die forever.
Instrumentally, the song begins with mostly rhythm while the horns take the melody. Emotionally, the music doesn’t overly set a tone. It has a pleasant rhythm, but the horns are neither too upbeat and high-pitched nor too slow and low to give away the mood of the song. I think it may have been intentional to sing the verse without backing vocals in order to hint at the loneliness of the subject. However, when it hits the chorus, some of the lines are sung with backing vocals of Linn Holmes and McKail Seely, and the other lines are accented with a lounge-esque vocal ah-ooh. This leads into a beautiful bridge that first pairs brass solos counter-playing off of the song’s dominant melody, before an instrumental call-and-response kicks off between the horns and an almost Santana-like rock guitar.
“Yonkers” is such an incredible opening track, but it’s probably not the best song on this 4-song EP. That title likely goes to “80 Proof”. This track features Holmes and Seely perfectly harmonizing the vocals in what might be my favorite vocal performance of any ska song ever. The song is an upbeat 2 Tone track with an excellent keyboard melody, understated guitars, horns that accent the chorus, and just beautiful vocals. The bridge lets the keyboard show off and pair well with — but not outshine — the vocals, which shape the narrative of the story. Lyrically, the story is about mistakes, drinking, regrets, and an inability to move on early in the song. But after the bridge, it turns the lyrics on their head as they feature growth, remorse, strength, and moving on. The song seems to center on ignoring problems in a relationship, creating hangovers, and one person moving past the issues while another person doesn’t. The story feels nearly as beautiful as the way it is delivered.
With only four songs on this EP, I don’t want to talk in-depth about all four tracks, but the last two are definitely worth at least mentioning. Harry Katz has referred to “Similarities” as his Danny Elfman song, and once I heard that, I couldn’t unhear it when listening. This song is somewhere between Elfman and Madness, with incredible saxophone. Think if the Oogie Boogie Man was on the Nightboat to Cairo while Elvis Costello was writing the lyrics.
Finally, “Who’s Coming Home” is a little harder for me to place. It feels almost like ’70s disco, but it is by no means a disco track. It is the most upbeat sound on the album, and every element works flawlessly together: The keys, the simple drums, the huge horns, and the vocalists all work together to create another stunning track.
I don’t know if the Pistachios plan on continuing to put out ska music, or if this is just a four-song foray into the genre, but the ska world is definitely better for having these tracksMay 28een MJune 6d June 6th, the Pistachios will be playing a total of six live shows in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. If you are in the area, please look up their socials and find a way to get to these shows. You won’t be disappointed.
Take a listen to The Last to Know below.
Written by Gimp Leg
