When you find a record you can get completely lost in, you find a special bond forming with the music. It is a euphoric experience unlike any other, and ‘Please Help Me’ by Funeral Advantage possesses that immersive quality that, as a listener, you often yearn for. On top of that, it is yet another high quality release by New York-based label, The Native Sound, who have been showcasing some of the best talent over the last couple of years.
The rich melodies that weave in and out of the six tracks that make up ‘Please Help Me’ wrap themselves around the introspective analysis that Tyler Kershaw pours into the EP. Carried by bright, major key harmonies, the title track sets the tone perfectly, leading into a record of methodically crafted dream-pop. Each composition allows breathing space for the subtle nuances buried among the glassy-eyed haze to stand out, giving extra depth the simplistic structures.
Soaked in lush reverb and owing some degree of debt to late ‘80s and early ‘90s brit-pop, ‘The Hanging Cage’ is an effigy to lost love and heartbreak. Kershaw’s diction is clear and concise, allowing you to relate to the soul-searching narrative while not distracting from the glorious undercurrent of intricate, syncopated guitar lines. It bleeds into the decadent, up-tempo rhythm that carries ‘The Shining’, with added vocal layers and warm synths.
What makes ‘Please Help Me’ stand out even more, is the refined songwriting of Kershaw, and the growth in musicianship from his previous release, ‘Body Is Dead’. While that was far from average, a track like ‘When We Lost Our Home’ is leagues above anything else he has written. The serenity of the music shrouds the darkness of the lyrical content, and makes you think harder about what you are listening to, adding to the aforementioned immersive experience.
With a record as well thought out, honest, and achingly beautiful as ‘Please Help Me’, it’s hard to believe that Funeral Advantage isn’t a name more widely spoken about in the indie world. If this gets into the right ears that could easily change, and would see Kershaw rival many of today’s more popular acts. Whether or not that happens is anyone’s guess but, for now, marvel at the glory of the underground’s best kept secret.
GLEN BUSHELL