Johnny Headband, Who Cooks For You?

By Less Lee Moore

Who Cooks For You? is the latest release from Detroit’s Johnny Headband, featuring brothers Chad and Keith Thompson (the latter of Electric Six), plus Gerald Roesser and and Robbie Saunders. Like the music itself, Who Cooks For You? poses an unanswered (or unanswerable) question: Who (or what) is Johnny Headband? Who Cooks For You? seems familiar yet it’s not beholden to current “indie” music trends; it refuses to be pigeonholed but all the same, it is one ridiculously enjoyable album. Who Cooks For You? crams a lot of flavor into its 35 minutes.

Before you even hear a note, the name Johnny Headband evokes a giggle. It’s an odd, amusing portmanteau of untranslatable English words, sorta like Viva Variety‘s Johnny Blue Jeans character, with a musical pun thrown in for good measure. Intriguingly, the album’s “Special Thanks” does include France, which could refer not only to the band’s name but also their influences. Some of the songs on Who Cooks For You? are reminiscent of French band Air: off-kilter disco (“Pineapple Triangle”), odd instrumental breaks (“Water Damage”), spacey keyboards (“Older Now”), and even distorted vocalizations (“Anglo Probe”).

For those Pulp fans familiar with that band’s deep cuts, there are similarities as well, particularly in the “Ladies’ Man” sounds of opening track “Over There” (listen to the song here) or the way “In Lava” has the soap opera sheen of “Happy Endings.”

But Air and Pulp wannabes they are not. For one thing, Johnny Headband is just too . . . well, Johnny Headband-esque. Who Cooks For You? continues the glamorous ambiance of the band’s previous album Happiness Is Underrated, but ups the glitz quotient considerably. In addition, Chad Thompson’s vocals substitute Jarvis Cocker’s deadpan emotional gravitas with something more akin to gravel-throated American irony.

It’s unclear whether or not the lyrics to some of the songs on the album are pure nonsense, chosen for the way the words sound or rhyme, or if they represent some sly, private jokes amongst the band members. Yet even then, Who Cooks For You? defies lyrical expectations with “Pineapple Triangle,” which comes across as straight-up romance despite its unusual title. “In Lava” contains more pillow talk, with lines like Baby, me and you/We’ll make our dreams and have them, too.

One of the best songs on Who Cooks For You? is “Hot Button Topic,” an incredibly hooky, undeniably danceable litany of—for lack of a better term—the mini-crises of a modern middle class existence. Rather than being one long white whine, it’s terribly witty, with “cookies for breakfast” and “it’s not fair trade” being two of my favorite hot button topics listed.

“Water Damage” has an amazing groove, courtesy of Keith Thompson’s impeccable bass playing, and then pauses with an unusual sonic interlude, only to pick up right where it left off. It’s a great example of not only the amazing musicianship of the band as a whole, but specifically Chad Thompson, who plays an impressive array of instruments on the album, in addition to tackling songwriting, production, engineering, and mixing duties.

The album’s closer “Older Now” feels like part two of “Hot Button Topic,” its expansive, almost grandiose sonic qualities belying the gently nihilistic lyrics. It’s a perfect finale: touching, without being too touchy-feely.

It isn’t surprising that Johnny Headband has a UK tour booked for May; they have a definite European sensibility. What is surprising is that more Continental-minded North Americans haven’t caught on yet.

Who Cooks For You? is out today in North America and will be out May 3 in Europe. Check out the band’s website and watch the video for “Over There.”

Tour Dates:
May 18 – The Bedroom Bar , London, United Kingdom
May 19 – Manor House, London, United Kingdom
May 20 – The Vic, Swindon, United Kingdom
May 22 – Unplug Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 23 – The Brickyard, Carlisle, United Kingdom
May 24 – ABC, Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 25 – O2 Academy, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
May 26 – O2 Academy, Sheffield, United Kingdom
May 27 – Sin City, Swansea, United Kingdom
May 28 – The Duchess York, United Kingdom
May 29 – O2 Academy Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 30 – O2 Academy Liverpool, United Kingdom
May 31 – O2 Academy Bristol Bristol, United Kingdom
Jun 01 – O2 Academy Oxford, United Kingdom
Jun 02 – O2 Academy Islington, London, United Kingdom
Jun 03 – Brass Monkey, Hastings, United Kingdom