Three-piece bands are often ideal, in that a greater dependence is placed on each of the musicians, whomever they may be. While somewhat utilitarian, the sound can result in tighter and more interlocked tunes. Each member’s instrument of choice carries a greater importance, and their arrangements carry more weight. Finally, three-piecers are more portable and less expensive to travel about; fewer people equals a tight unit that can go places larger bands couldn’t.
A case in point is Dicky Mo and their album, the odd-yet-appealingly titled “bedwetter.” The instrumentation is Rob Jacobs on guitar, Siamak Hajaizadeh on bass, and Teri Jacobs on drums. All three contribute vocals and Jacobs writes the lyrics.
The album — with a running time of about 30 minutes, it could be considered an EP — might be called “amateur” on first glance. The liner notes are minimal, Xeroxed black-and-white, and the sound is punk crossed with funk, or perhaps indie rock.
The recording is less-than-perfect, notably lacking in its bass mix. But none of this really matters. The music is discernible and interesting, and it frequently verges on the edge of unique. The musicians are clearly talented, yet some of the progressions — especially in the earlier tracks — don’t sound cliché, but just really, really familiar. But perhaps this is nothing to hold against Dicky Mo; after all, the guitar is one of the most prevalent instruments in the history of Western music.
Of the eight tracks, the standout is “television,” a subject that’s been done to death by musicians in the past but still remains relevant. Here though, “television” is only the name of the song; the title becomes the summation of the lyrics, and Jacobs’ lyrics mange to avoid mentioning the subject once.
Jacobs, as the main vocalist, often tends toward the poetic, as demonstrated in the song “black borders,” where he delivers a string of seeming non-sequiturs: “Diver, Hammer, Shark, Lightning, His vision, so blurry, ended, began.”
“Bedwetter” doesn’t come from a large record label, but it’s readily available at local music stores around town, as well as at the band’s concerts, for $5. The band plays tomorrow night at the Cheerful Tortoise.
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