The Plain White T's Unleash a Fine Attention Getter From The Comfort Of Their "Bed"

Plain White T's are a good band to have on the shuffle rotation of your IPod when you crave a break from the doom and gloom of daily life. "Hey There Delilah" wrung so much charm out of a simple acoustic guitar melody. Uncluttered served the purpose well. "Rhythm of Love", in my opinion, is best appreciated by watching the video. You'll start to give in to the celebratory mood there. This NY brotherhood of souls has an EP out called "Should've Gone To Bed". The title track continues this bunch's way with songcraft that did involve some well thought out ideas but pulls off the feat of producing a pop cutie that's doesn't put up walls of artistic pretension between band and audience. One difference between "Bed" and "Delilah" is there's more of a percussion presence in the former. De'Mar Hamilton patiently knocks out the bouncy pieces that hold this fun jigsaw puzzle together. Tom Higgenson hasn't lost his ability to guilelessly bare his flaws. It's midnight. He misses "her". The devil's getting to him. The angel on his other shoulder has no chance whatsoever. Tim Lopez lets his guitar weave around De'Mar's drumming with laser focus. He's the puppy dog keeping chase with De'Mar's bouncing ball of gregariousness. Tom learns that maybe when you have a few drinks in you that's probably not the time to call your girlfriend on the phone, and let whatever comes out come out. Plain White T's are all about innocence, youthful exuberant innocence. Even when they screw up you want to pull 'em in for a group hug and say, "That's okay, you scamps. I remember what it was like to be that young and that clueless." As pop songs go "Should've Gone To Bed" has more body on them bones. Mike Retondo's a highly capable bassist. What he brings to this party is pec flexing, so to speak. His choice of chords is a reassuring aural embrace. Dave Tirio drops his rhythm guitar in at the right spots to ensure the bolts in this machine don't come flying out, and pop someone in the eyeball. Justice would be served if "Should've Gone To Bed" began a steady climb up the single charts of the leading music magazines. It's not like the boys grew up too much. They still have that take on the world level of surplus energy. Simply put, this is the first time I've noticed there's a drum kit back there to keep the rest of the guys honest. Both "Hey There Delilah" and "Rhythm of Love" employ guitars as their bread and butter means of engaging the audience's attention. The result is a weightless quality which conveys the previously touched on innocence but doesn't do much to remind us there are horses revved up in those engines. "Should've Gone To Bed" is grounded in drum sequences, the guiding hand helping the kiddos along. What a nifty wake up call for anybody who remotely thinks the basic pop song is an art form ready to be hooked up to life support. What a relief notes, not studio trickery, speak for themselves.