Why Twist the Hair

Pushing the accepted boundaries of pop music without straying too far from its accessible qualities is a dangerous game, but Midwestern natives Nick Pastel and Peter Allen seem to have it down pat. Allen muses that their music is a "deviation from standard pop forms and structures," but the uniquely arranged songs off their 2007 debut Healthy Skin are also dripping with memorable hooks and poignant harmonies. Pastel concurs, explaining, "I think that's because we're influenced by poppy music. We grew up listening to American radio as kids." Truth be told, the band's perky, Beatles-esque pop sound offers listeners a rich palette of transcendental "indie pop" that keeps audiences on their toes.
While Pastel and Allen are from Colorado and Kansas, respectively, the pair doesn't feel that their music contains much of a Midwestern vibe; rather, they concede that their geographical pasts function as a sort of springboard for their growth as artists. Rather than singing about middle-class Americana, Why Twist the Hair imbue their music with a poignant nostalgia - a sense of leaving behind one's home and growing up. This genuine sweetness is particularly tangible on tracks like "Formula." Opening with a lonely xylophone and wavering, achy vocals, the track maintains a lost uncertainty that conjures up thoughts of looking back, feeling like the past were better, and coming to terms with the inherently deceptive qualities of memory. Yet Why Twist the Hair's Healthy Skin isn't merely a trip down the proverbial memory lane. In fact, the album as a whole feels, in Allen's words, "spontaneous," thanks to the duo's creative composition and energy. Not to mention some of the smartest musical arrangements to come out of any Boston band in recent memory.
The album's sonic landscape feels wholly organic, thanks to warm, buzzy organs, robust pianos, gentle woodwinds, and an impressive command of orchestral percussion. The funkier, yet sinister keys on "Walking Muscles," open and pause abruptly to showcase tight, Lennon-esque vocals and layered percussion with laced with urgent smatterings of notes. On the other hand, "Candy Pain" opens to organic keys and soft, soothing vocals, matched with lightly understated drums. The band deftly manipulates odd shifts in song structure and jaunty dynamic changes while remaining remarkably pop accessible. Pastel explains, "This was our first shot at making an album." They also collaborated with a woodwind quintet, a move that, he says, "made us a little more experimental."
Allen and Pastel made the decision to perform and write without any bass, although the instrument does end up gracing the album. Allen explains that his decision to omit bass occurred after their drummer left and Allen dropped bass in order to fill the empty role. He jokes, "It's hard to find bass players," yet he feels that this move benefits the band's sound. The music is "kind of electric," Allen says, but "it's not grounded very easily in harmonic structures." This gives Pastel a bit more musical freedom, and while Allen admits the lack of bass can sometimes "throw some people off," the band isn't afraid to take risks. With innovative live performances, and a steadily building local profile, it seems Why Twist the Hair's risks haven't alienated too many listeners, and after a few spins of Healthy Skin, it's clear that the band has accomplished quite the opposite.

www.whytwistthehair.com