Fireworks Go Up! : You’re Welcome

You wouldn’t know it from some of my Truly Great articles, but I was taught as a child that if I had nothing nice to say, to say nothing at all. Although this might be a valuable axiom for the world in general, it doesn’t quite work for one who reviews albums. Even so, I think I’m going to make an attempt. I might fail by the time I get to the conclusion, but what the heck, I’ll try anything once.

Fireworks Go Up!’s debut album, You’re Welcome, was produced by John Agnello who has produced such luminaries as Patti Smith, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Jay Farrar, and Dinosaur, Jr. Baryon records is his newly created record label and Fireworks’ album is the label’s first ever release. If nothing else can be said about the production, it can be said that it’s tight, polished, and fairly solid.

Leader of the band, Dan Coutant, formerly of Joshua, has a voice that has been compared to that of Glenn Tillbrook of Squeeze. The timbre, pitch, and tone of the voices are certainly similar, albeit set to much different music.

Alright, I’ve got a whole hell of a lot of room left over. What to do? Is it time for some backhanded compliments? I could say that the Fireworks Go Up! album lets the listener’s brain relax for a while as it is not taxed or challenged in any way. Ok, that kinda stuff might start to get nasty, best to avoid that. Oh, I know! I could mention the bands that Dan Coutant cites as influences! He mentions that he’s a fan of Spoon, the Flaming Lips, and Shudder to Think. Those are great bands!

As stated earlier, the name of the album is You’re Welcome. I can’t help thinking about the fact that I never said “Thank You.” Damn, almost made it.

Albums that Dan might recommend:
Spoon- Kill the Moonlight
The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Shudder to Think- Pony Express Record