Littlefoot's If You Give a Grouch a Guitar

Yeah, I couldn't find the album cover...which kind of proves my theory accurate. What theory? Why, read on! Same deal with the track list...it's alphabetical on my iPod.

What can you say about a band hopelessly overshadowed by a little cartoon dinosaur? Are we to expect a band that has no idea when to stop releasing albums, thereby killing all of the charm of the original concept with absurd proliferation? Or, more likely, will Littlefoot prove to be a band that is ungooglable and destined for obscurity? I prefer to believe the latter, which makes sense when you listen to If You Give a Grouch a Guitar. This album finds its effectiveness in the tenuous off-kilter discord, much like Homecomings’ self titled, or the even lesser known Wolves! EP. This sense of musical ambiguity probably explains why these references will be lost on most. It’s no secret that this brand of music is risky to undertake, but when it works, the risk pays out handsomely. The Mountain Goats would be a better reference, mostly for comprehension purposes, but that reference is yet to be earned.

From what I can glean from the aforementioned ungooglability and Littlefoot’s myspace blog, this is the first official long player, especially since he refers to the 37 minute disc as a “heavyweight.” Well the heavyweight kicks off with the spritely “Opener,” exhibiting heavily capoed acoustic guitar as a counterpoint to the tamely growling vocals sounding something like a young Jeff Mangum (hence the “Grouch”). The track clocks in at just over a minute, which would seemingly be a boon to this style of songcraft; but this, and the other short tracks seem to disprove that theory. “Pinchin Cheeks,” “Grass is Tall” and “Swingsets and Mountaintops” are all fabulously charming, but they could really benefit from a little more development. The crescendoing desperation of “Go to Sleep Now” and the crooning backing vocals and banjo that supplement “The Pond” about a minute into the track make all the difference – especially with the high harmony that follows about two minutes into “The Pond.” The accordion on “Oh Good!” and “Prince” with the use of Theremin (does every band have a Theremin now?) and the chiming percussion fill out the variety and strengthen the developmental aspects that keep Grouch from being forgettable. “The Numbers Divide Each Other” with its bitonal baseline proves Littlefoot to be a lo-fi force to be reckoned with. This baseline is the simplest instrumentation to get stuck in my head since Meg White’s adorable drum stick solo on De Stijl’s “Hello Operator.”

To quote Littlefoot him(them?)self, the band makes “lite music, shimmering on the surface and squishy soft at the core.” Less grouchy than advertised, the album isn’t likely to be anybody’s favorite, but for fans of early Bright Eyes aching for those pre-overproduction charms, Grouch hits just the right spot. The charm is obvious with playful melodies and outdoorsy/folksy lyrics. The album is certainly not perfect, but there is definite hope for future endeavors. In a way, it’s better to leave room for improvement so the band isn’t forced to turn to production as means of hitting new heights (I’m sorry Oberst, I really do like you). So in the end, unlike Littlefoot of Land Before Time fame, If You Give a Grouch a Guitar should leave listeners satisfied, while still hungry for the sequel.