Lunch of Champions

One For the Team | “Good Boys Don’t Make Noise” (but they taste like candy)

Hello fellow lunch companions, I’m Nicole (“Nic” for short). This is my first contribution to the feast, so I’m going to start with a story so you can get to know me better (during which you’ll learn that food is to me what video games are to Toby)…

I remember the first time I ate something spicy and complicated (okay, I don’t actually remember specifics, but run with me here). I seem to recall a moment where I was leaned over the kitchen sink dramatically gagging — to which my mom dutifully responded by piling more food on my plate as punishment…hmmm, but enough about questionable feeding practices… Somehow, some way, I eventually liked spicy and complicated food. Perhaps I learned to crave novelty, maybe my taste buds just came of age, or perhaps, as much as I’d like to hold this story of abuse over my parents’ heads, it was my conditioning. It’s certainly a general principle that human nature is resistant to new things. How many people that grew up with a Scandinavian-American diet call spicy squid their “comfort” food, after all? And how many times did you have to listen to your first Bjork album before you appreciated it?

I remember more fondly the first time candy became a regular staple in my life. Oh, those were shiny, cherry-colored days. My mom had done such a good job keeping candy out of my vocabulary, me thinking Bugles were a treat (not a side dish, like they were in most children’s lives) up until I was about 6 and the two of us moved in with my grandparents. I did not have a problem introducing sugar in its most pure and concentrated forms into my diet. I’m guessing this is because there is nothing complicated or unfamiliar even to the youngest of epicureans about the simplest of simple carbohydrates: sugar.

Consisting of members Ian Anderson on vocals, synth and guitar, John Krueger on bass, Elliot Manthey on drums, Bryan Sonday on guitar, Sam Gerard on synth and tamborine, and
Grace Fiddler on vocals, One For the Team is like sugar for your ears. Showcasing somehow-familiar and simple riffs and melodies, this band is immediately likeable, especially for those of us who came of age amongst a candy store stocked with blink-182, Weezer, and Sunny Day Real Estate. The guitar lines are bare-bones simple, the lyrics do not require a dictionary, nor a trip to the wikipedia or music discussion board. They are what they are: clean, honest, simple, and appealing (and just look at the pictures! they’re adorable!).

The first song on the album, Robert’s Rules of Order, begins in a typically emo, stark, and almost awkwardly frank (but in a cute, friend-who-has-a-crush-on-you) way:

“I’ve been meaning to write these songs for some time.
I hope that they don’t waste yours.
They’ve been in me for so long begging to be written down
‘Oh Please, Ian, don’t ignore me’”

Their sound will remind you of a little bit of a lot of things. I did an unofficial poll of my captive audience car passengers to help ground any biases I might have, and the album was not only unanimously liked, but everyone seemed to think some aspect of the band sounded really familiar. It always started out “Oh, they sound just like…” followed by a number of bands from my formative years, including blink-182, Weezer, REM, the Eels, Sunny Day Real Estate, and I might add even a pinch of the Hopefuls and the Replacements.

It’s good stuff…and that’s just the album. Wait until you hear what’s behind the music. That voice you hear crooning over those sugary guitar licks is 21-year-old Ian Anderson (I’m not sure if his parents had specific plans for him or not). Not only is he the frontman for this band, but he also plays guitar for Aneuretical and he’s a cofounder and booking agent for the record label Afternoon Records. Oh, and this last year he was also a full-time student at St. Olaf. It would be hard not to see big things in Anderson’s future (and did I mention that I suddenly feel old?).

In a recent article for Pulse of the Twin Cities, he is quoted as saying “I really love pop music. I’m a complete sucker for anything that’s catchy, but ever since I was 16 I’ve been writing weird indie music with Aneuretical that was consciously strange and sort of, ‘Hey, let’s play in odd time signatures because its cool.’ The creative nature and challenge of that was cool, but I’ve also still felt like I needed to write pop music and over the years I’ve written pop songs that never really fit in with Aneuretical; One for the Team really grew out of those ideas.”

Ian delivers exactly what he promises. It may not challenge your earbuds, but it sure is sweet.

Pros:
A) Easy to like
B)They made the Star Tribune’s “Best of 2006 so far” list
C) Though very emo-esque, this band includes a very charming, stylish, and, dare I even say, hot female, one Grace Fiddler.
D) One can expect great things from Ian Anderson as his music craft matures. Then you can say “Awww, that’s nuthin, I was listening to Ian Anderson back when he was playing in small venues like…”

Cons:
A) Not groundbreaking (see sibling band, Aneuretical, if this is what you’re looking for)
B) We’re yet to see the full potential of these musicians (or maybe this is a “Pro”)…

Summary: Four stars and I’m psyched to see them live when they are playing in town again!

You can check out One for the Team on July 20th at the Triple Rock and/or on their MySpace page (where you can hear four of their songs and see a schedule of future shows).