Nutria
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Nutria

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"3 1/2 STARS Allmusic.com"

This double package is comprised of two relatively short discs that could easily have been combined onto a single. But since Athens, GA's Nutria, aka multi-instrumentalists Bob Spires and Jay Gonzalez, brought along a different rhythm section for both sessions included in this set, it probably seemed more logical to divide the songs onto a pair of platters. Despite this willful separation, the sound is similar enough that these 22 tracks could have been pruned down to a tight, hour-long disc without listeners being alarmed. Regardless, Nutria has a firm grasp of the indie pop genre, and both albums are crammed with hooky, sharply written songs whose charms are immediately accessible. It's a tough, riff filled collection, often reminiscent of Cheap Trick especially on Cheef's opening "Under the Clay." A strong Beatles undercurrent, particularly noticeable in the vocal harmonies and arrangements, adds further pop elements. A delightfully raw D.I.Y. garage sensibility is never far from the surface in the snappiest rockers. The songs are co-credited to the entire band, not just Spires and Gonzalez, who are the only two that appear on all tracks. Neither have especially distinctive voices, but they put across the material with enough spunk and energy to overlook any vocal deficiencies. Lyrically there is far more complexity than is apparent in most indie pop. "Anita" concerns a woman into S&M, a realization most listeners might not catch on the first few spins since the chorus of "Hey Anita, what do you bleed for?" is so impossibly catchy. "Sunlight" could be an outtake from Beatles for Sale, especially with its Lennon-ish vocals. Like the best pop/rock, these tunes grow on you, and the rather crude approach works to the band's advantage by providing an edgy sound nicely offsetting the sweet and sour melodies. Despite cheap, near shoddy packaging that gives little to no personnel information in addition to looking embarrassingly disposable, this is a gem of a release that any fan of the band's genre would consider a major find. - Hal Horowitz - Allmusic.com


"Very Catchy! Excellant!"

Nutria's Bob Spires and Jason Gonzalez cut their teeth on some of the best pop songwriting of the late 20th Century, from the Beatles to Wilco, a love and respect that's showcased in their new band. This Athens, Georgia quartet that rose from the ashes of The Possibilities, The Glands, The Jack Logan Band and The Eskimos, have just released this specially priced, 2CD set. An interesting marketing concept (which we like quite a bit), this package contains two distinctly different albums released simultaneously. "Cheef" is a bombastic, hook-laden, power pop/roots rock album with lots of wide open guitars, broad vocal harmonies, squealing keys, and solid drums, lying somewhere between The Who's "Who's Next" and The Band's self-titled record. "Metronome", the other album, is a more subtle, earthier, tight and precise record with more sparse instrumentation, deceptively simple vocal harmonies, and more textural use of sounds. But still hook-filled for sure! The two terrific albums compliment each other, showing both sides of this band to watch! Very catchy! EXCELLENT!!!! - Kool Kat Musik


"Highly Recommended"

Get the best of two pop worlds here, though,
for a few dollars more. Nutria, on both albums, remind us of a perfect
combination of Sloan, The Model Rockets, late-era The dB`s, New
Pornographers, Spoon, Brendan Benson and The Minus 5, Nutria blend perfect,
unusual melodies into a tapestry of cool sounds and conventional pop-rock.
Reminds us a lot of the recent A.C. Newman album, too! Nutria`s "Metronome"
plunders many moments and bands on the Yellow Brick road of pop history. In
fact, you can call this power pop that would appeal to the CMJ/college radio
crowd, if they paid more attention to the non-large indie college pop going
on in front of their noses and ears. It`s power pop for folks that don`t
know or care what on earth that is! Hop on the comet that is the joy of
bouncing back and forth on this "Metronome" of joy. This is classic stuff,
folks! Always interesting production techniques are tucked in with warm,
unusual but catchy melodies. A gem. Really. Extremely Highly Recommended! - Not Lame


"Gross Name - Great Pop"

It’s quite a gross name for such a business-like, unassuming band. Whose idea was it to name the combo after America’s most disgusting rodent? Still, like many another band with a negatively connotative moniker, Nutria manages to overcome the word’s impressions of wet fur and Dave Attell crouching in a boat with a rifle. More than a year after its first album, Metronome, dropped to acclaim from the band’s fans but failed to win the group wider stardom, Nutria is giving it another shot with Cheef, which has a slightly bigger sound and perhaps a little more emphasis on rock.

Cheef is being released by Fundamental Records as a double-album paired with last year's independently released Metronome, and what it all sounds a bit like is the sound at the Caledonia (a favorite venue for the band) when it's working at its best, i.e., slightly echoey, big but not too big, hemmed in by some solid walls. Though the guitars are plenty large and the cymbal crashes regularly, there’s a sweet, tasty pop center on almost every tune. “Under the Clay” is packed with harmonies of cascading “ah AH”s on the chorus; “Heard It from a Friend” twangs it up in a mildly melancholy country way and “Wrinkle in Your Frown” mixes Beach Boys with Big Star in a song entirely suited to a road trip sing-along that’s both aggressive and full of falsetto in the background. “Tied and Bound,” like many another tune on the album, builds off an ever-so Pete Townshend guitar riff - that is, bringing the rock does not preclude a deep love and incorporation of melody.

It’s music to get perfectly drunk to, happy but not embarrassed, cheerfully raising a High Life to a certain degree of professionalism that may preclude having the coolest rep in town but means a solid show every time and, hopefully, a string of albums as finely done as this one. - Hillary Brown - Flagpole


Discography

Metronome - Album 2005
Cheef - Album 2006

Tracks playing at various CMJ stations

Photos

Bio

Bob Spires and Jason Gonzalez cut their teeth on some of the best pop songwriting of the late 20th Century, from the Beatles to Wilco, a love showcased in their new foursome, the Athens, GA-based Nutria.
When Gonzalez and guitarist Chris Grehan joined Spires' band The Possibilities in 2000, Spires and the founding members had already released one full-length record. This self-titled debut featured "You Don't Mean It," the Spires-penned classic that went on to be a popular hit for The Minus Five, the Peter Buck (REM) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows) ensemble. And while Buck and McCaughey were playing "You Don't Mean It" for an audience of millions on Late Night with Conan O'Brian, the now five-member Possibilities were busy opening for acts such as Alex Chilton and REM, recording a new album, and co-writing new songs by the dozen with respected artists like Jack Logan.
The expanded musical and songwriting palette that Grehan and Gonzalez brought to the band helped their sophomore release, "Way Out," receive praise from the likes of the LA Times and No Depression. But as the quintet pressed on to record their third album, the band abruptly dissolved, leaving their quickly-growing fanbase to reverently speak of a "lost album" in the same hushed tones they once spoke of "Third/Sister Lovers."
After the split, Spires, Gonzalez, and Grehan regrouped, joined by drummer Joe Rowe (who earned his well-deserved pedigree with fellow scenesters The Glands). Not merely content for a Possibilties Redux, Nutria features some of the smartest, yet catchiest, compositions Spires and Gonzalez have written. And Grehan not only shines on guitar and bass, but proves his merit as producer as well, manning the console for
Nuria's sessions at his own PDM Studios.
Together they explore a wide swatch of musical territory, from the descending chords and power-pop harmonies of Hindsight 20/20, to the mechanical attack of Shonuff, to the "lost 70s radio hit" classicism of
Nothingman. It's an impressive mix of songwriting skills and musical chops that makes nutria one of the must-hear bands of 2005.
Now the group's lineup is complete with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Dave Weiglan and drummer Jason Eshelman, both formerly of The Eskimos, and the Fairburn Royals. With vocal harmonies to spare, guitars raw and loud, bass low end rumble and bashing drums, Nutria is primed and ready for a stage near you, and a spin in your stereo.