Earlier this year, five drummers from different Ohio-based groups got together to form their own band. They wrote some songs in the spring, recorded in the summer, and released their debut in the fall. I'd make a joke about drummers always rushing the beat, but the resulting album, Feel Good Together, sounds remarkably fleshed out, full of smart, focused, propulsive indie art-rock sounds that sound both purposeful and adventuresome. Only one of the full-time drummers kept his day job: Greg Boyd of Ghostman & Sandman sits behind the kit, pounding these songs into shape, and the Black Keys' Patrick Carney rounds out the rhythm section on bass. Steven Clements from the Six Parts Seven plays keyboards like he's opening for ELO; Teeth of the Hydra's Jamie Stillman plays lead guitar like he's been confined to the drum stool for far too long; and Jon Finley of Beaten Awake plays guitar and-- more crucially-- sings like he could have fronted a successful regional metal band 25 years ago.
Their shared background as drummers clearly informs the way they approach their new instruments, and Feel Good Together emphasizes fleet rhythms over ornate melodies. On the other hand, their experience in very different groups creates a mix of styles that range from 1970s post-Beatles pop to 90s post-rock to 00s Strokes-y bluster. Despite the band name, the album is a guitar-driven record, relying primarily on Stillman's dexterous fretwork to lead the quintet in and out of geometric jams that sound vaguely prog-metal in origin. He doesn't play lead so much as he pushes rhythm guitar to the forefront, which gives "Good Golly" its punishing momentum and "Connect to Lounge" its headlong menace. "Buddy Scapes" sets mathematical guitar and keyboard riffs against each other at a rapid gallop, as if a ridiculous tempo is as showy as a noodly solo. The pace rarely lags, but even when Drummer slow things down, they never sacrifice magnitude of sound. In fact, the stand-out here is "Every Nineteen Minutes", an austerely majestic anthem that ought to make a strong show closer.
That song arrives midway through the album, after the precision of Drummer's music threatens to sound a bit mechanical. But Finley's high, tensile vocals add a much-needed human element, especially when he strains to reach certain notes or convey a certain desperation. "Mature Fantasy" is his rawest moment, his voice going scratchy as he fights against the attack of guitars. At times the album feels crowded together, as Drummer juggle too many elements or cram songs too full of time changes and tempo switches. "Summer Control" in particular seems a bit formless as a closer, working in crunching guitars, quacking synths, and one too many change-ups. Generally, however, Drummer streamline these songs vigorously, as if they're trying to dispel every corny drummer joke all at once.
