M’s Are Back
The M’s
21st Century Boys
Anyone who has attended a local rock show over the last few years is sure to have seen The M’s’ name pop up on one marquee after another. Besides introducing their rebellious, guitar-slinging sounds on solo headlining shows, the gang have also opened shows for a slew of indie icons including Wilco, Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Ponys, and Broken Social Scene. Along the way there’s also been the music, including the brand new Future Women (Polyvinyl), which has scored kudos from the likes of the Washington Post, Spin, and Rollingstone.com, leading the foursome to a coveted slot during Pitchfork‘s inaugural Intonation Music Festival. It’s a lengthy list of accomplishments any band of burgeoning stature would’ve envisioned since banging around the basement, but surprisingly none of these achievements were ever in the blueprints for the Windy City boys.
“We really didn’t know what we were doing when we started out,” admits guitarist/vocalist Robert Hicks. “We knew we liked playing music, but we came at it from a different perspective than most bands starting out. We were not careerists, but did it because we just enjoyed what we were doing. We made a record, an EP to be exact, but didn’t know how things worked. We had no idea you needed four months lead time to do press and there were specific ways to get your CDs sold in stores. We just went about it by putting something out there. Looking back we feel liked we learned a lot.”
One early growth curve came shortly after the EP’s release, which was originally intended to be the first in a three-part series to build buzz. But the band didn’t realize getting promotional and publicity wheels going on the first one would take so long, so they skipped the daunting task of packaging the other two.
“Since we didn’t understand the music industry, I think part of wanting to release the EPs back-to-back was it would make us appear more prolific,” offers Hicks with a laugh. “We also thought people would be more apt to buy an EP because they cost less money and we thought it would be really cool to have a set where all three would make a picture. But it became clear no one really cared about EPs, so we kind of nixed that idea. Still we had these three separate sessions of material that we didn’t want to sit on, so we combined them all to make [2004’s] self-titled CD [on Brilliante]. I consider that to be the debut, but in terms of our audience, I think Future Women will resonate with more people.”
Naturally the new disc is not only more cohesive and refined, but also full of creative risks and additional experimentation not found the first go-round. In one sense, the project is packed with ’60s/’70s garage-derived influences, but there’s also elements of glam rock, U.K. pop, and tidbits any Wilco disciple could just as easily digest. While the disc may explode with the British Invasion swagger of “Plan Of The Man,” it shifts into the soft-spoken sheepishness of “Light I Love,” but then bursts with riveting romps like “Underground” and “Never Do This Again.”
“The songwriting is similar, but I feel like this is a more eclectic record stylistically,” says vocalist/guitarist Josh Chicoine. “I’m really into Blur, especially the way I approach the more guitar-driven sounds. We’re also into a lot of soul groups, but I feel like we’re always shooting for something eclectic. I wouldn’t say we’re so much like Wilco, though we have learned quite a bit from playing with them. They’ve been mentors of sorts to us and they’ve instilled in us the desire to try and make every song a great song without repeating ourselves all too much.”
The group credit such strides to a switch up in studio situations, one that started out as unfortunate but turned into a blessing in disguise. For the EPs transformed into the eponymous album, The M’s recorded in their basement studio, but come the Future Women sessions, were forced out because their landlord sold that property. Though the guys were worried about the financial strain of setting up shop in a self-contained studio, they bit the bullet and used some clever negotiating skills.
“We really lucked out at the beginning of the band with the [home studio situation] and it was really our clubhouse of sorts where we even started demoing songs for Future Women,” Hicks explains. “But in the long run it was better to go into Semaphore [Recording] where we were able to do the tracks together live and then start overdubbing and laying down the vocals with really great equipment. The studio was certainly a step up into getting the sounds we wanted and we didn’t feel limited. The way we got around the money was booking 30 days in a block with the condition that the studio could bump us if something more pressing came up. It was really the perfect balance for everyone.”
Those vibes, along with every player’s generally positive disposition, led to a relatively upbeat album that can simultaneously serve as the soundtrack to a party as it can soothing a troubled rock ‘n’ roll lover’s soul. Don’t come at the disc expecting any downers, pessimism, or perturbed characters, but those always looking, per Monty Python, on the bright side of life.
“Thematically we wanted to keep it up, positive, and fun,” Chicoine says. “Sure, there’s times in life that are gonna suck, but you’ve got to keep it together. But we’ve been really blessed for the most part as four dudes who are really together in this and keep each other going despite hardships. And we don’t really have anything that bad, aside the struggles of being a rock band in a big city. Yet we have that sense of hopefulness mixed with a realistic point of view. We’re not sure where we’re headed and the music industry isn’t the healthiest its ever been, but we’re keeping our eyes on the prize.”
As for specific goals, The M’s hope Future Women will escalate to consistently playing to hearty crowds really digging the tunes. Beyond breaking out of Chicago, the band hope to hit Britain and possibly Germany, both where they’ve already earned a lot of fanfare and Internet buzz. “We have no real niche market beside music lovers and our goal now is to get the record in stores, which Polyvinyl is really stepping up,” Chicoine continues. “It’s cool to hook up with people who really respect your music and we finally feel like we’ve got all our ducks in a row.”
— Andy Argyrakis
Appearing: February 24 at Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) in Chicago.
