The Daily Texan, DT Weekend: 10/01/09
No matter how boisterous and skewed The Intelligence’s music may sound, frontman Lars Finberg wants you to know that it’s really not so strange.
“To be honest, the sentiment is the same as any Buddy Holly song. It’s just more interesting to convey those emotions in a way you’ve never heard before.”
And it’s true; the way Finberg and his band present their ideas is nothing if not unorthodox. Each of the Portland band’s tracks is wrapped in the detritus of analog recording and laced with disorienting keyboard plunks, warped tape loops, and distorted vocals. Their dark, drum machine dirges and sunny, careening pop are catchy in an almost counter-intuitive way. With a mess of effects and sprawling guitar parts colliding with the stubborn rhythm sections of the songs, it’s a wonder that much of the Intelligence’s music doesn’t completely spin out of control.
It’s only Finberg’s musical vision that keeps the songs from careening off course. For him, what seems like borderline chaos is simply “a catchy drum beat that’s not super obvious, kind of simple guitars, weird keyboards, and words you don’t normally hear.”
Though normally this would be classified as a gross understatement, Finberg really has the uncanny ability to focus on the basics of even the most raucous song. When the tracks are overflowing with the chaotic experimentation that defines the band’s music, he somehow keeps them punchy, powerful and moving forward.
This dedication to solid songwriting distances The Intelligence from a lot of the other groups associated with the recent lo-fi punk revival. Where other bands seem more concerned with the aesthetics and posturing of punk, The Intelligence are more interested in applying the genre’s spirit to a wide range of sounds. Finberg grew up listening to bands like the Misfits, Minor Threat and Bad Brains, and recognizes the original diversity of the genre. “All of that quintessential punk rock really sounds completely different,” he explained. “It has that punk energy, but those bands stand out because of their songs and their melodies.”
The Intelligence’s music retains the rambunctious, whirlwind energy that punk music was founded on, but also doesn’t forget the importance of diversity and solid songwriting. For Finberg, applying a certain intensity can turn even the strangest tracks into what he begrudgingly calls “pump-up jams.”
“Music can be weird and lo-fi, but if it’s a great song it’s a pump-up jam. We’re trying to be a little weird or off-center with our music, but still elicit that ‘Oh man, turn the volume up’ response.”
Luckily, The Intelligence will be happy to do just that for you. Their youthful exuberance leads to songs that should really be too loud and too strange to fall in love with. Maybe it’s Finberg’s deft songwriting or the Buddy Holly themes hiding underneath the experimentation, but when the trio stops through Austin it will be hard not to.
