The Kyle Sowashes

Normally, naming a band after oneself is a shallow stroke of ego (e.g., Steve Miller, Bob Seger), but for Kyle Sowash, it couldn't be any other way. After slaving over a decade's worth of unrecognized lo-fi indie anthems, he deserves a complete, full-throttle band to flesh out his earnest ballads and scrappy pop songs. The Kyle Sowashes are a supergroup of sorts, composed of four dynamic players assembled from formidable Ohio bands such as 84 Nash, Sun God and SPD GVNR, but each is channeling a little Kyle Sowash on "Nobody".



Recorded in February 2010 in snowy Cincinnati, Ohio by former Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley, "Nobody"'s ten songs are straight out of the indie rock cookbook. Tracks like the propulsive "Rough Week" and "Blast From the Past" are fortified with extra heft and sonic vision, but they retain the goofy charm and sharp hooks that have defined Sowash's career.



Sowash readily admits his debt to indie rock's golden age--"Nobody" is a study in the work of bands such as Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, Silkworm and Guided by Voices--but he draws on those influences judiciously. In other words, this is no tribute album. While "Can't Make Up my Mind" and "I Would Like To Speak To Yr Manager" will certainly signal a nostalgic flag, the themes are distinctly Columbus, distinctly Kyle Sowash. This album makes getting older and longing for the mid-'90s sound fun. It's time to get your beard ready again.