Keep the Babies Warm

According to their self-generated bio, the members of the Service Industry all worked jobs in various soulless establishments; fast food chains, mega-franchised coffee shops, and the like. The boredom and monotony of their day jobs led the gang, which fluctuates between six and nine members, to put together an agit-prop band to combat the oppression of the workplace with music. The band lives and plays (and probably works day jobs) in Austin, TX, another spoke in the oddly shaped wheel that makes the city an indie music Mecca. The cover art tips you off to the fact that the band isn't always serious. The front cover is a parody of Pink Floyd's Animals and the songtitles rage from the disgusting — "Liquid Meat into a Form" — to the desperate — "My Resignation." The music's presented in an offhand, lo-fi manner in keeping with the downbeat material; it opens with "Liquid Meat into a Form" a midtempo rocker that contrasts the fast food joints of modern Texas with the natural ways of the Native people who once lived there. The music is light and poppy, but the phrase "Liquid Meat into a Form" just naturally triggers the gag reflex. "Oh I" sounds like the inner dialogue of a worker slowly going crazy on an assembly line. Grinding guitars and dispirited vocals underline the song's hopeless vibe. The title track is an R&B stomper that juxtaposes the jealousy of minimum wage workers with the lives of the movie stars and gangsters they wait upon. "All in One" lists off all the labor saving devices — faxes, email, iPhones — that insulate people from their feelings and keep them from connecting directly with others. "My Rise to Greatness" is the most ironic track, a list of the daily delusions and indignities that keep people trapped in their meaningless lives. The crunchy metallic guitars give the tune the nasty edge it needs to get its message across. The band's lyrics are sharp, and the arrangements are eclectic, but the singers deliver their line with an air of academic detachment that keeps the songs from being as powerful as they could be. A little more anger and emotion could make this album a great listen, rather than being merely enjoyable. ~ j. poet, Rovi