Let's get Mesolithic, you can pull me by my hair.
Call this girl old-fashioned, but I say a cave is where,
you'll find a loving cro-mag, who will hunt and gather fare.
Let's get Mesolithic tonight.
I've dated New-Age women--they don't impress me much
There's only one advantage--they insist on going dutch
The independent, self-reliant gals you see these days
don't understand my manly scent and knuckle-dragging ways.
-- Eddie From Ohio, Let's Get Mesolithic
Quick is the seventh studio album from the band Eddie From Ohio, released in 2001 on the band's own label, Virgina Soul Records. The band's sound is probably best described as folk (and they're often sorted as such in record stores), but they're on the more energetic edge of the genre, as clearly shown on many tracks on this album. They're probably best described as humorous, energetic folk music.
Track Listing
1. Quick (4:16)
2. Let's Get Mesolithic (4:05)
3. The Best of Me (4:16)
4. Hey Little Man (2:33)
5. Number Six Driver (4:23)
6. One Thousand Sarahs (3:28)
7. Monotony (3:33)
8. Candido & America (5:03)
9. Abraham (3:20)
10. Cantering on Fool (3:12)
11. Tommy the Canexican (3:25)
12. Tom Burleigh's Dead (3:35)
13. Great Day (4:49)
Track Descriptions
The album opens with the title track, Quick, is basically a song about wanting to be something you're not; it's a relatively muted track with very nice vocals from Julie Murphy Wells, whose vocals really shine on this album in several places. Her vocals on this album, as well as the band's previous album, Looking Out the Fishbowl, are very strong; she has a distinctive voice without being grating.
The second track, Let's Get Mesolithic, is probably best described as a novelty track about a woman and a guy who, for lack of a better wording, have a relationship (or desire a relationship) that is Mesolithic in nature. This song's probably best remembered for the horn work and Robbie Schaefer's ... interesting ... vocals.
The Best of Me is about the jealousy a single woman has towards couples. A very mellow song, much like the album opener, but not as memorable.
Hey Little Man is one of the best tracks the band has ever recorded, and is one of the highlights of this album. It's an a capella quartet by the four band members which really shows the way their voices mesh nicely, especially how the three male voices accentuate Julie's wonderful voice. I find myself humming along to this quite often, which is impressive for an a capella track.
The fifth track, Number Six Driver, is another solid track featuring a much more memorable and non-novelty duet between Robbie and Julie. It's about loneliness, which is a regular theme in the band's music; this track fits in well with their musical catalogue but doesn't particularly stand out in either a good or bad way.
However, things get better and better. One Thousand Sarahs is the one and only Eddie from Ohio song that I've ever heard on the radio; it aired on a local alternative station late last year. It's a wonderful track about jealousy of the popular girl with some nice guitar work and a touch of the blues, almost worth the price of admission to the album along with Hey Little Man.
Monotony has, well, monotonous verses. Interestingly enough, though, the song still works because of the solid but unusual instrumentation (monobone, shaker, clave, and triangle, among other things) and the interruption provided by the choruses.
The eighth track, Candido & America, is based on the book The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle, and features backing vocals from another excellent band, Da Vinci's Notebook. The song's about an immigrant from Mexico trying to make it in a land that's supposedly the Land of Opportunity. A great example of folk music -- lots of musicians playing together on a musically distinctive and memorable track with a social message.
Abraham is an example of a Christian influence that appears on occasion in the band's music; it's not particularly overbearing like many contemporary Christian artists, but it does merit a mention. The song's mostly about having to make difficult choices, and recognizing that others have to make them as well (in this case, Abraham's difficult choice with his son Isaac).
The tenth track, Cantering on Fool, is a mellow little instrumental that leads into the very strong album close. Pleasant, but not altogether memorable, and probably the weakest spot on the album from track five onwards.
Tommy the Canexican is a very appealing (but almost novelty) track about the culture clash between Canada and Mexico and one individual stuck in the middle with relatives in both countries, but little interest in the United States. It's a very fun, upbeat track.
Tom Burleigh's Dead is an amazing track, just amazing, telling the tale of Tom Burleigh, the first (and perhaps only) person killed during John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. It's an almost Celtic-style track with just a touch of pop sensibility, something you'd expect from Great Big Sea or perhaps The Chieftains. The song's backing vocals are provided by a large group of family members and friends of the band, and the song just comes together as some of the best Celtic songs do.
The album closes with Julie showing off her vocal chops on Great Day, a song about the wonders of a wonderful day. It closes off the album on a very strong note, which more than makes up for an average beginning.
If You Like This Album...
I strongly recommend Eddie from Ohio's previous album Looking Out the Fishbowl, as it's just as strong (or perhaps stronger) than this one with very similar style. Also recommended are albums by Moxy Fruvous, especially Bargainville and You Will Go To The Moon. If you liked the song Tom Burleigh's Dead, then you should look into acquiring Great Big Sea's album Turn.