Tigercity Brings Back Groove of the 70's

By Broadside Style Columnist Andy Minor

If you didn't notice, I gave my usual top 10 list a few weeks off, for no other reason than getting sick of coming up with ideas for lists every week.

Sometimes though, a good idea for a list falls right in your lap, and there's nothing you can do but write it down. This is precisely what happened when I discovered, through the great favor of a good friend, the little Brooklyn quartet known as Tigercity.

These guys bring rock, synth, disco and house to the forefront, all while making music that is fun to listen to and easy to dance to.

They go from rocking to easy to catchy to blaring in a few short bars. Never once am I having a bad time while I've got Tigercity blaring in my 1992 Ford Taurus.

Overall, they are quite possibly the smoothest band on the face of the Earth. I mean, these guys are as smooth as Humphrey Bogart riding in a 1972 Cadillac El Dorado.
But enough of me raving about the band overall, let me get down to the brass tacks: Tigercity's new EP, Pretend Not to Love, is now available on iTunes and you should buy it.

The following is not quite a top-ten list, as it's only a six-song EP, but it's list-worthy nonetheless.

1. “Powerstripe”
The album kicks off with my current favorite Tigercity song. It's not necessarily the most danceable song on the album, but it still grooves hard, and when lead singer Bill Gilim hits his falsetto towards the chorus, I nearly lose it. Nevertheless, this song still embodies the smooth niche to which Tigercity belongs. The backbeat is nice and relaxed with disco-style guitar palm muting. The vocal melody fits in quite nicely and the result is a song that I listen to maybe eight to 10 times a day.

2. “Are You Sensation”
I'll be honest. “Sensation” is the weakest song on the album. But if I'm to be honest again, I can only admit that “Sensation” is one great weak song. The catchy bongo riff drives the song with the aid of a sweet synthesizer part in the background. The chorus is disco charged, with plenty of harmony and a melody you can dance to. One thing I still can't get over about this song is the breakdown during the bridge—you get one of the smoothest vocal melodies on the album accompanied by the sweetest groove this side of the Mississippi.

3. “Other Girls”
If you have never heard Tigercity before, go to their MySpace page and listen to “Other Girls.” It's the first Tigercity song I'd ever heard, and I still can't get enough of it. This song made one of my well-respected friends hail the return of smooth, and every time during the breakdown I try my best to clap along. I could still dance to this song for hours, and I've probably heard it at least a thousand times. The bridge in the middle shows that Tigercity has a more popular side, not so much on the disco level. They show you a great groove that builds exactly into the one they began at the start of the song. This is a near-perfect track, and I know that you'll be just as addicted to it as I am.

4. “Dark Water”
“Dark Water” is a close second for worst song on the album, but let me clarify again that the worst song on this EP is begging to be the best song on another. It's perhaps the least disco-pop fused song on the album, but there's still a strong sense of Tigercity style during this one with plenty of falsetto. What we really have here is a catchy little rock tune that you can sing along with as you cruise down Interstate 66. “Dark Water” is easily another one of my favorites.

5. “Let Her Go”
The slow song on the album, “Let Her Go” is one of those songs that I find myself singing to myself as I walk up to people during the day. It's a great conversation starter, because after they look at you strangely for singing to them, you get to tell them all about Tigercity. This song has a nice slow back groove, with plenty of Bee-Gees style falsetto and a synthesizer track that puts the smooth back in smoothness. The lyrics are also genius, speaking of a man who is so in love that he lets his girl do whatever she wants. It's a sure tearjerker, and I can't stop playing this one over and over.

6. “Solitary Man”
I like to think that “Solitary Man” combines the pop rock feel of “Dark Water” with the disco-pop feel of “Other Girls” or “Powerstripe.” It's a summarizing song for the feel of the entire EP, and it's only fitting that it comes last. It's a song that shows depthZ and musical development, proving that Tigercity is a band that has the ability to write more than just catchy pop tunes. It wasn't my favorite at first, but it's quickly becoming one of my favorites on the EP.

And there you have it, Tigercity as I've heard them so far. It's not every day you find a band to rave about so avidly, but when you do I think you should go all out. I certainly did.