Odds Against Tomorrow

Artists

Album Info

Release Date: 1999

Label: 101 Melody Unit

The first full-length by Seattle's Melody Unit, Odds Against Tomorrow is a collection of psychedelic guitar-pop gems that defy categorization. Drawing from influences spanning many decades and genres--from the psychedelia of early and the instrumental surf music of the and the to the dream-pop of --the Melody Unit have created something truly original. The interplay of guitarists Kevin Kelly and David Wentworth is the centerpiece of MU's unique sound, forming a lush sonic landscape on which to build their songs.

With stunning results, the guitarists forsake the clichéd feedback and fist-waving histrionics associated with most guitar bands, focusing instead on creating brightly textured parts that lend themselves to the songs rather than overwhelming them. Likewise, the dual vocal attack of Kelley and Jessica Folsom deviates from accepted notions of male-female duets. Their voices weave, sometimes combining to form one instrument. Odds Against Tomorrow is peppered throughout with a number of instrumentals that aren't thrown in as diversions but as integral pieces that stitch the CD into a single aural event. The ambient "With the Domestics" and "Daffodil 11" create sonic bridges between more conventional songs such as the acid-surf of "The Fugue" and the dreamy atmospherics of "Spy Song." "Doc Ellis," aptly named after the baseball maverick famous for pitching a no-hitter on LSD, serves as a launching pad for the sprawling neopsychedelia of "The Hallucinogenic Toreador." Like Ellis, who was notorious for his wild unpredictability, the MU revel in their own quirks, surprising the listener at every turn with their inventiveness. --Paul Ducey

Review
"If you want to lose yourself in a dense fog of noise-pop, you can hardly do better than The Melody Unit. Captivating..." -- J.C. Coyle - CitySearch.com , February 2000

"Odds Against Tomorrow is an impeccable collection filled with layers of sumptous sounds that are then striped away to reveal song after gorgeous song." -- Richard A. Martin - The Seattle Weekly, January 2000

"Sounding both elegant and determined, it's not hard to imagine the Melody Unit as a HUGELY successful Indie Rock pop act." -- Kelly B. - Listen.com, February 2000

"The Melody Unit has joined much-loved artists like My Bloody Valentine, All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors and Lush in the pink-noise-dream-pop pantheon." -- Parasol Records, March 2000

"They write gorgeous, shimmering pop songs that glimmer like a new leaf after a spring rain. Bringing to mind a pulsing, more approachable Stereolab." -- Barbara Mitchell - The Stranger, March 2000

Seattle space-rock sextet the Melody Unit showed promise almost out of the gate, sandwiching a phaser-driven, sound-sculpted '98 EP around regular shows that revealed a sharpening pop sensibility. Now the band really delivers on that promise with the brand new full-length Odds Against Tomorrow, an impeccable collection that stacks up layers of sumptous sounds, then strips them away to reveal song after gorgeous song. Kevin Kelly and David Wentworth's guitar work heightens this achievement; the two refuse to settle for hackneyed squalls, instead experimenting with forms ranging from straightforward to avant-garde. Kelly and Jessica Folsom provide a delicate vocal balance that suits the music perfectly. -- Richard A. Martin, Seattle Weekly, October 21st, 1999

The second release from this Seattle band in too many years finds them as strong as ever. Lush rolling soundscapes, tropical and dense layers, curves and sonic sighs. This music might have been pushed into some alterna-genre such as shoegazing, but it shouldn't be. These sounds are too sexy for that. I'm not gonna be looking at someone's shoes if they're playing music that sounds like this. It breathes. The melodies curve around your hips while the drums roll against your spine, the bass laying against your lips. You can taste it. From the almost psychedelic surf of "The Fugue" to the butterfly beautiful shadows floating on the dynamics within the "Spy Song", The Melody Unit have created a whole out of parts that span decades. Swirling sparkles in my eyes as I'm brushed into dreams by the tension and teasing, the sense of pleasure, that floats between the steady voice and curl of harmonies. -- Marcel Feldmar, Ink, November, 1999
About the Artist
The Melody Unit was formed sometime in early 1996 and has released two albums independently. The core band of Kevin Kelly (songwriter, vocals, guitar), Tim Kappert (bass), and Mark Salvadalena (drums) has stayed the same through the two albums with Alex Duff (keyboards) and Amanda Young (guitar, vocals) leaving the band after the first album in 1998. David Wentworth (guitar) and Jessica Folsom (vocals) joined the band for the second album in 1999 with Peter Lynch (keyboards) joining after the second album had been recorded.