monoblogue music: “Totem” by The Workers

Dan Greenwald describes his work as “the Talking Heads meets Frank Zappa.” I will be the first to admit I’m not much more than a casual fan of the former and really never got into the latter. Then when you add the hint of country you’ll find on this latest EP from Greenwald’s band of gypsies called The Workers you might think I would be turned off – but strangely enough, it works and I thought it was pretty good.

There are only three songs on the EP: first up is Death Race, a midtempo song with intriguing lyrics about the commute I’m sure many in his New York home face on a daily basis. As he laments, “Death race on the road today/Hope I see another day.”

The middle song, Boomerang, is more of a ballad but shows many of the same tendencies as the opening song. Lyrically, it’s an ode to freedom, even as one grows older and hopefully wiser. But the song I liked best was Big Time, which is more of a rock song. There are parts of it which are kind of strange, particularly the title bridge, but on the whole it’s the best of the trio.

Something I found quite intriguing upon looking into the recording and production of the album is the fact that it’s credited to seven different musicians with a varied repertoire (vocals, electric and acoustic rhythm, electric lead, and pedal steel guitars – that’s where the country influence I hear comes from – bass, drums, keys, and male and female backup vocals.) These seven musicians recorded in five different venues, so it’s a testament to the production work that “Totem” sounds as seamless as it does. It actually has an almost unbelievable backstory to how it all came together over the course of several months.

Not being familiar with the group’s earlier work (and cognizant that the roster of musicians has changed for each of Greenwald’s releases under The Workers name anyway), I can’t say whether this is an evolving sound or just a phase he’s going through. I suppose the “alternative” label he bills himself under is the best fit, and perhaps knowing a little of the story behind the music makes me appreciate his efforts a little more. You can be the judge as well and listen for yourself.

I sort of wish I had learned about this a little earlier because Dan was in the region over the summer, playing one of his three non-NYC shows as a solo performer in Wilmington (the other two were in North Carolina.) But hope springs eternal on his part – after all, he’s humble enough to be excited about being a top 20 ReverbNation artist in New York, which is probably more lucrative than being number one in Salisbury, Maryland.

So if you like something a little bit out of the ordinary and have about 10 minutes to fill, this may be the EP for you. It’s short, relatively sweet, and should hold your interest.