Yes folks, it’s time for another edition of…

Bands I like

This week I’ll be talking about one of my favourite “Oh yeah” bands. You know the kind of band where you hear a song on the radio and you say “Oh yeah, I remember these guys!” Bands that for whatever reason dropped off the radar, but left a legacy of great songs by which to be remembered. The band I’ve selected for your reminiscing pleasure this time is the band The Odds.

The song you will probably remember the most (if you were into alt-rock in the mid-late 90s) is the song Someone who is Cool

In natural selection I’ve avoided all detection and the tender bits underneath
All with window dressing and calculated guessing and a heart bigger than my sleeve
It was the suit that got me the gig
It was the tear that got me the girl
I’m a sheep in this wolf’s clothing
I’m a picture that I’m holding of someone who is cool

I heard that song and decided to grab up as many of their songs as I could. I was most pleasantly surprised. The music is an eclectic blend of rock and pop, and no two songs are the same, unlike some bands who subscribe very strictly to one style. They’re not overly complex or deeply musically brilliant, like Tool or the Pumpkins, but their music definitely has a quality to it that defies boredom.

In true Crommunist style, the thing that most impressed me was the quality of the lyrics. Without being overly funny, the lyrics are light-hearted and clever, even in deep and somber songs. The best example I can think of comes from the song Last Drink:

Carrying your ashes from bar to bar,
I’m in a mess, you’re in a Mason jar.
With you under my arm like a football,
I’m not ready to let go, and that is all.
You were never too big on conversation
And that hasn’t changed much since your cremation

A lot of their appeal surely comes from the nostalgia factor, but The Odds are definitely worth a look. They are easy-to-listen toe-tapping songs. Don’t expect anything prolific or life-changing, but you can’t go wrong with these guys.

Songs to check out (Numbers 1-4 were released as singles)

  1. Someone who is cool
  2. The Truth Untold
  3. It Falls Apart
  4. Eat my Brain
  5. Last Drink
  6. Smokescreen
  7. Radios of Heaven
  8. Break the Bed