Stop Light Observations, a four-piece transformational indie rock band from Charleston, SC, just released their second full length album titled “Toogoodoo” on August 26, 2016. The long awaited follow-up to their first album “Radiation” (2013) was more than I could’ve expected from the good ole southern boys who grew up in the same town as me and if I had only one word to describe this album after my first listen, it would be “nostalgia”.
Started by guitarist/keyboardist and principle song writer John-Keith “Cubby” Culbreth and guitarist Louis Duffie, Stop Light Observations gained a massive following: the “Purple People” in the state of South Carolina, selling out a venue called the Music Farm in downtown Charleston seven times in a row. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of purchasing a resale ticket for almost three times the amount of the original price for a show at the Music Farm.
The band took a two week break from reality and transformed a 200-year-old farm house owned by John-Keith’s family they had been vacationing at for years on Toogoodoo bluff, near Edisto, SC, where they got the name for the album. Ambient noises featured in a number of the songs are sounds that came straight from Toogoodoo to put listeners in the rustic southern setting that inspired the album. Don’t be fooled by my descriptions of this truly southern band though. This is one band that knows how to rock with vibes reminding me of rock music from the late 60s and early 70s incorporated with a modern indie rock sound and folk roots, giving Stop Light Observations one of the most unique sounds I have ever heard.
Toogoodoo is almost an anthem for the millennial generation but to quote John-Keith, “This 21st century album, ironically, sings the sorrows of a man with everything. ‘Toogoodoo’ is the ‘Middle Class Blues.” The opening song “Dinosaur Bones,” one of the singles released before the album, is a great buildup to introduce the overall feel of the album with lyrics about being “decorated on the outside but empty at the core” and feeling as out of place as “a poor boy at a country club” and feeling “more alone than dinosaur bones”. Just two tracks later is the song “Security,” a 5-minute internal struggle of the desperation to be successful in the world’s eyes with everything from a GPA to being a CEO and all of the material perks that come along with making money but realizing none of that makes you happy because “we believe the only thing we need is this made up thing that we call security.” The chorus was tweeted by the band the week of the release, “Two cold beers, a hot b*tch, and security #RejectedTrumpCampaignSlogan” to give an idea of the satire this band puts out.
As the album goes on, some things that stood out to me were the opening to the track “Know it Alls”, referencing the Charleston area code “843”, and of course one of the three rock anthems, “Aquarius Apocalyptic,” which is so beautiful you just have to listen to it because it can’t be described. The other two rock anthems “Leroy” and “Give to Get” have completely different sounds. “Leroy” touches back to those bluesy, southern, folk roots and “Give to Get” sounds like it could’ve been performed at Woodstock.
Track 10, “Steppin Away,” an acoustic guitar instrumental over the ambiance of cicadas at Toogoodoo bluff, sets the mood for the final two songs that round out the album. “50 ways” closes “Toogoodoo” as an anthem representing the pain and suffering the millennial generation has grown up with starting with audio from 9/11 reporters over soft instrumentals. The closing song references tragedies like 9/11 and the war on terror, the economic crash that occurred eight years ago, and the tragedy of the Charleston shooting at the Emanuel AME church, something that is close to the hearts of anyone from our small historic city. Not to end on a low note, the chorus of this closing song “the devil’s trying to bring me down, but he ain’t gonna bring me down today” shows the strength that our generation still has.
Overall, if I wanted to be professional in my recommendation, I would highly recommend this album because of its unique sound and relevant content, but who am I kidding? I recommend this album to anyone and everyone with a pair of ears that function properly because holy sh*t this band is talented and I have a feeling they’re going to really take off soon and you better believe that when they do, they’re going to take the music industry by storm.
