THE MAJOR LABELS

By Brian E. King

del.ico.us | digg it! | reddit!

print | email | 0 Comments

Usually supergroups are disappointments—but not these guys. The Major Labels are Boston powerpop favorites Bleu McAuley, Mike Viola and producer Ducky Carlisle. Their debut album, Aquavia, is a masterful culmination of the songwriters' addictively quirky, pop garage rock via '70s McCartney.

Aquavia melds grand pop ambition and a fun-in-the-studio vibe—with off-mic laughing, a song about a rejected song and even a tune about Carlisle's neighbor ("Jimmy Kenney," who Bleu says "jams the song every day").

"Most of the songs were written on-premise, together," says Bleu from the trio's new Los Angeles home. "Like the classic Elton John records, with Bernie Taupin writing the lyrics in the morning, Elton writing the music in the afternoon, recording in the early evening and by bedtime the song would be finished. There's something awesome about capturing the musical moment at its freshest and most exciting, which was our goal."

Keeping the ideas fresh seemed to be no problem. For one, the song "Hummingbird" was written and recorded outdoors. "We woke up and Ducky suggested we write a 'bird song,' so we sat outside and wrote it. Everything on it is real—the birds chirping at the appropriate moments, and even the bubbling water." The three had worked together previously on L.E.O., Bleu's astounding all-star homage to Jeff Lynne. "I have so much respect for both of those guys," Bleu says, "so it was easy to trust that everything would turn out well in the end."

The results are surprisingly cohesive—especially from two fiercely independent solo artists like Bleu and Viola, the former with a Queen / Jellyfish fixation and the latter with a thirst for all things Lennon / McCartney. "It was truly a total democracy between the three of us. The whole idea was to start a real 'band,' with veto power and complete equal collaboration.

"When I was a kid, I always imagined that was how records were made," he says, "with people just sitting in front of microphones and playing their hearts out. It's almost never exactly like that, but for this it was."

[Aquavia is available for free download (or a suggested $8 donation) at noisetrade.com. The band will be playing a return gig at the Lizard Lounge on 9.27.08. myspace.com/themajorlabels]