A prolific lo-fi combo with several EPs and cassette releases, a couple of live albums, and a half-dozen official LPs in as many years of existence,
the Memories drop a 28-track double album in 2017's
Royal United Song Service. Named for a made-to-order recording offer started in 2015 to fund the band's first European tour, it collects material from the project, which allowed fans to request elements like topic, theme, and even chords and time signature for their own song. Per the band, it's a set of songs "about other people's memories." The resulting tracks range from "Okay, Cupid," a doo wop prom-type ditty in 3/4 time about a couple who met through an online dating site, to the Merseybeat-esque "Grilled Cheese with Ham" with its affected British accents, and "Happiest Loner," a celebration of singleness ("So happy to be/Careless and free"). Though mostly originals, covers include a low-key version of
Harry Nilsson's "Without You" and a ramshackle but earnest take on "Seasons in the Sun." As an exercise, it's not a bad one for a band already in the habit of churning out lighthearted slacker fare in straightforward pop structures about love, hanging out, and getting high. For that reason, and acknowledging the quick turnaround inherent in the project, the covers are among the best tracks. Still, the affectionate nature of most of the topics and the sweetness of tunes inspired mostly by doo wop, early rock, British Invasion, and psychedelic pop will lead some to give a huge pass to a few out-of-tune guitars and awkward extra syllables. If a pseudo-Caribbean jingle about a dog named "Gooner" that includes rhythmic bark samples sounds like a treat,
Royal United Song Service offers over an hour of such musical curios to explore. ~ Marcy Donelson
