MR RUSSIA: Training For the Gameshow Host

Chicago’s MR RUSSIA don’t exactly offer fabulous rewards or dream vacations on their EP Training For the Gameshow Host, but they do their best to keep the party alive. Instrumentally, the album is powered almost entirely by two basses, garnished only by an occasional keyboard flourish. While a dual-bass ensemble seems like a concept culled from the deleted scenes of This is Spinal Tap, the album mostly remains light on its feet, managing a fair amount of dynamic range given its instrumental constraints.

The songwriting isn’t what you’d call virtuosic. MR RUSSIA’s melodically limited delivery and straightforward singing are grounded in uncomplicated progressions and thick-sliced arrangements. This approach sags in places, as on opener “Wooden Heart.” But its simplicity smolders on “It’s True” and “National Anthem” and ignites on “Fireball.” The orchestration is driving and crisp.

Frontman Ivan’s half-spoken, half-melodic vocals, landing somewhere between Devo and Cake, assert a sexual bravado that is half-credible: “Come on, come on, come on / you know you want it, don’t stop” (“It’s True”); “Good behavior, I could care less / I just want to watch you undress / … / I’ll take you home, get you alone / I’m gonna love you like a fireball” (“Fireball”). The songs predictably follow well-worn alt-punk tropes. While it’s not music for the thinking man, it would be fun to get sloppy to at a pub or party.

But things take a turn for the interesting on the final, title track. The band trades dueling basslines for a lounge-style narrative about, well, a character on his way to becoming a gameshow host. It’s not your everyday rock-song storyline, and while the song doesn’t impart any breakthrough insights, its meaning is ambiguous enough to stimulate the imagination.

Should you buy this album? The question is moot. The band is offering their downloadable album for free on their website (http://www.MrRussia.Net).  Download it, shake your rump to it, raise a pint to it. The price is definitely right.