There’s a comforting familiarity to Blisses B’s first 2019 single release “Curtain Call” that is immediately inviting. Starting with a relaxed analogue bass synth groove, and quickly punctuated by staccato guitar figures, Curtain Call features an amazing vocal by Noah Libby that is reminiscent of both Ray Davies of The Kinks and the Flaming Lips‘ Michael Coyne, while still maintaining its modern Indie roots. In this way Blisses B taps into the collective musical psyche in what can only be described as a perfect unification of both the then & the now. Perhaps it’s the real drums as played by Evan Bautista giving the music its heartbeat in syncopation with Jimmy Touzel’s bass, or the idiosyncratic groove established by Ben Keegan’s keyboards and guitar with Libby, but the song conveys a humanity in its mix of celebration with just a splash of pathos that can only come from knowing. With a reputation for playing a unique combination of acoustic and electric instruments, the band has achieved something akin to a unity of form and here, and Curtain Call, far from a final act, heralds a new stage in their evolution. 
In their tenth year together, and resident in The Bay area, Blisses B is about to to drop a new album (June 21st) titled “Tell Your Friends You Love Them And Why“. That message of positivity has weight when it comes from a band with lived experience like Blisses B, and it marks this album as an existential meditation that is both celebratory and pensive. The title comes from a lyric off the opening album track, Twin Geeks, the album’s second single.
There is time it’s rolling by
Tell your friends
You love them and why
Feed their dreams
Enough to rely
The rest is theirs now
No need for a guide
Wise and heartfelt words from a band that’s really taking the time to evaluate who they are and what’s important to them, Twin Geeks is the perfect opening for Tell Your Friends. I particularly enjoyed the cascading keyboard lines that were a marriage of the minimalist stylings of Gary Numan and the more ornate circus runs of Ray Manzarek‘s work with The Doors. The guitar lines also made me think of the way Ric Ocasek’s used to weave his guitars around the keyboard parts of the early Cars recordings – particularly the staccato punctuations and accents, and use of effects.
Mando Calrissian
Sonically this album pays homage to a host of influences and is best described as a Seaside Kaleidoscope. Imagine elements from the coastal boardwalks and carnivals of America; a cultural stew of cascading electronica and folk instrumentation, seasoned with personal tales of family and friendship depicting life’s joys and its contrasting existential hardships. When listening to Tell Your Friends You Love Them And Why, you get all this and more. For existing fans of Blisses B, there is lots here that will be familiar. Present is the experimental folk instrumentation that has always been part of their signature sound (including Noah’s infamous Mando Calrissian electric mandolin), and a whole lot more – with new forays into groove orientated early 80’s synth-pop, and the calypso inspired rhythms of the Afro-Caribbean.
There’s also some classic indie-pop goodness here too – particularly Six Plus One which sounds a lot like The Four Seasons‘ Oh What a Night if the Four Season’s station wagon had crashed into The Cars‘ early 80’s tour bus after picking up a Trinidadian hitchhiker. I found myself revisiting this song many times over – it was that much fun. And I really liked how they let the instrumental breakdown stand on its own as a bridge. Pedals and Bam Bam is also a really strong song that could be something of an indie-pop anthem. It’s got an early Dandy Warhols vibe to it, and a fantastic guitar solo that ends with some unison runs before coming back to the main song figure. I loved it – bring back the guitar solo! I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Cubic Zirconium and the excellent steel drums as played by guest artist Mark Rosenthal. The mandolin and bass on this track are fantastic as well; a beach song to play in the sun if there ever was one.
In conversations with Noah Libby, the band’s primary vocalist and lyricist, the album was described to me as “a smorgasbord” and I’d agree with him. From my understanding Blisses B has always been a bit of a smorgasbord band – with very eclectic and often whimsical musical tastes. What’s different about this smorgasbord is that there’s obviously more meat on the menu, and the connective tissues that tie each song together and thread through the album give Tell Your Friends a new and very satisfying cohesion. Yet it’s a cohesion with many varied tastes and textures that doesn’t feel schizoid. Noah credits Alex Laipenieks, who engineered and mixed the album at Owl Sight Recorders, for helping the band achieve this, suggesting Alex functioned as a 5th member of the band during the recording process. High but warranted praise.
Other songs that deserve recognition are Idyllwild (with its Cure inspired guitar hook) – a great power pop ditty featuring a fantastic drum track and some neat syncopated interplay between drum and vocals, and Yeah – Yeah – which starts out as a softened almost UK style punk anthem, that becomes an American indie rock post punk masterclass with some dramatic modulation right where you’d want and expect it to be. If fact there are so many great songs on this album I’d say you owe it to yourself to drop the needle and play it through. There’s something that happens as you play through the running order of the tracks that hearkens back to the best of what AOR used to be – where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And when you have such lovely parts to begin with that’s really saying something. Speaking of lovely – check out OCDC. It’s a beautiful song that features first class performances from every member of the band. Also captured on this album is Alisa Rose, featured violin on Grand Lake. The album closer, Act Natural, is its most mature cut and reminds me a little of The Small Faces meets Slade with an almost Badfinger sensibility. It was a great album closer for sure and affirms how carefully paced and crafted the album was as a whole work.
Blisses B will be celebrating the album release with a party on Friday July 5th at Bottom Of The Hill in SF, and playing around The Bay Area throughout the year before a possible tour of the PNW and maybe a run through SOCal this fall. I think there’s still time to book them for festival gigs this summer though I imagine those dates are quickly closing up. I can also imagine the band doing very very well in Scandinavia were they to get an invitation to tour there. Noah also tells me that post release, drum duties for the band will be taken up by new member Charlie Knote. He’ll have his work cut out for him matching Evan’s performances on this album but I’m sure he’s up to the task.
I’m thankful that I caught Curtain Call when it was first released and that I was able to reach out to the band before the album dropped for an advance copy of the album. I spent about 6 weeks listening, and really digging-in, and I can say it was not only time well spent but it was also deeply rewarding – for that I thank the band and wish them every success going forward. And if there’s only one takeaway you get from this article or the band — take the cue to Tell Your Friends You Love Them And Why.
You can find Blisses B on Amazon, Spotify & Bandcamp and the band can be reached for bookings at blissesbmusic@gmail.com
