Andrew Cedermark / Family Portrait split on Underwater Peoples Records

Underwater Peoples alerted me to their latest split single from Andrew Cedermark and Family Portrait, both of which I've heard nothing from before, so a single is always the best place to start. These two are completely matched in downright soothing classic catchyness.

A1: Andrew Cedermark - Untruth

A2: Anderw Cedermark - Hard Livin'

B1: Family Portrait - Super Cool

B2: Family Portrait- Mega Secrets

The track I heard from Andrew's side was 'Hard Livin'', which starts out with a lone bass kick drum against rim shot sticks, add a little acoustic under a full sounding chorus electric finger picking and it's got a sort of country sound without getting too sentimental. And that's as far as that comparison goes, it's rock made out of the simpler things, the overlooked elements of a band working together, playing off each others sounds.
All the way from the clicking rhythm into a epic crawl eventual climax that takes you by surprise a couple of times. The layers of vocals are understated, a little distant...working behind the instrumentation building layers against the picking melody punctuated by increasingly distorted accompaniment. It's sad and overpowering... fading out to an ungrounded guitar hum giving away the room sound. Andrew is putting the live cards on the table...this is built in a real space, with the pain and suffering that takes. I have to say I don't know Titus Andronicus, but I'm going to be looking into them, as it seems I've got another Tim Cohen situation on my hands.

The Family Portrait track 'Mega Secrets' has that overblown warm dirty sound that's sounds fed through tiny muffled broken speakers from a station just out of reach. They take a great repeated melody and just let it ride through the amps, it's tinny, jangly guitar, nearly screeching with treble, with that Real Estate momentum. The big difference here is lead Evan who restrains himself in a moody deep moan for most of the track so when he lets loose towards the end with
'I can't do anything right...' the vocals peaking in the red, it really gets you.

I don't want to round peg Underwater Peoples sound into that Real Estate square hole, but I can't get past it. It's that classic melodic rock I keep appreciating. Real Estate really has grown on me...the layers of effects on guitars, the slow grind...I know it doesn't sound like anything new, and that's why it's harder describing it? There is something really interesting about this sound coming from NJ, and U.P. are capturing it...the Woodsist/Captured Tracks of NJ. Go get it from Underwater Peoples.

Today, We're announcing the release of a split record from Andrew Cedermark (Born in beautiful Glen Rock, NJ/Formerly of Titus Andronicus) and Family Portrait (Frontman Evan Brody hails from Ridgewood, NJ). Despite all the tracks being painstakingly recorded, we might as well have just taped one of our house parties. Nine times out of ten, this split was the bill. - Underwater Peoples