“Portrait of an Ugly Man” is the third full-length outing for Bloomington Minnesota brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson following last year’s “Natural, Everyday Degradation” and their 2017 debut “Greatest Hits”. 2018 had them debut on Epitaph with the EP “Pop Music” which was anything but!
Temerity is a band calling their debut “Greatest Hits” and we haven’t seen this sort of thing since Zappa debuted with the “Freak Out” double-album in 1966! But “Portrait” delivers more again with, easily, ten singles that would feature comfortably on any rock, pop, AOR, or alternative/indie radio station anywhere in the world. This record brings to the fore the sounds of Kings Of Leon‘s “Only By The Night” combined, whether they know it or not, with Floyd Vincent’s ”Dolphins of Baghdad”, Sloan’s “Navy Blue”, Abba’s “Arrival”, Matthew Bellamy / Muse, early-70s Queen, and early-00s Queens of the Stone Age, among other sounds you are sure to be familiar with.
And if creating this sound in the garage wasn’t enough for them, there are two music videos to accompany it: Star Worship had the guys singing and dancing in front of a bedsheet in that garage; while Ode to Joy 2 had Erik being driven around Bloomington in the snow broadcasting that beautiful baritone voice which Stephen found hilariously funny while his real talents, when not behind the wheel in the snow while his brother sings from the window, lie in his guitar work both at the fretboard and in post.
Stand-outs for mine include the Spaghetti Western-styled Too Deep In Thought, the anthemic True Romance Lives, and the first single Ode to Joy 2 (was the BBC playing Greensleeves during this one?!).
Such a huge, huge sound from just two guys a garage, Remo Drive’s “Portrait of an Ugly Man” will grow on you. There really isn’t anything ugly about this record!