The Throwaways - To Whom It Concerns

The Throwaways

To Whom It Concerns
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

The Throwaways began in 1994 in Jackson Mississippi. It was during this time that Dusty Goff and Robert Hansford began making music together, though none of it was ever played out live. Around 1999 however they did begin to play shows in and out of the Jackson music scene, although as parts of other bands. It wasn’t until nearly a decade after they had started making music together that they finally decided that the Jackson scene needed to hear it. Since then they have made and recorded music together under several different names, and currently, along with bass player Buddy Felder, record music as The Throwaways, though given their history and their choice of name that could change at any moment.

On their first release, a five song EP entitled To Whom It Concerns, The Throwaways have chosen to attempt a genre bending feat, which whenever one does so can be rather dangerous. But it can also be rather rewarding when it works. To my ears To Whom It Concerns does a little of both.

“Suitcase”  is in many ways the best song on the album. It is a spacey epic that builds slowly and erupts in a sweeping wave of a chorus. “Goodnight Daylight” starts off with a bit of Postal Service style poppy peppiness which I liked and thought would continue throughout the length of the “Goodnight Daylight”. I was very wrong as the song soon begins to take a turn toward hard rock, with dirty guitars and pounding drums, and a light dusting of synths and effects mixed in. It is precisely these types of jarring changeups in songs which separate the pros from the amateurs. More established artists know that song needs a proper build and a decent bridge if the melody is going to change. And that seems to be a hard thing for The Throwaways to interpret at times. In The Throwaways defense in this department however, the title track, “To Whom It Concerns” gets the changeups just right and the results pay off well for the band on this epic rocker.

For a first record To Whom It Concerns has all the classic symptoms of a first record, though it also shows a lot of promise for a band who’ve chosen to meld genres, a feat I can assure anyone not in the know is not as easy as it may sound. I’d recommend To Whom It Concerns to anyone who is a fan 80’s synth pop and or fans of a band such as Muse. Their styles are very similar.

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