I recall spending the majority of the year 2010 balancing the workload of my freshman year of college with constant gigging for various projects I fronted. The genres of my musical endeavors spanned from metallic hardcore to pop punk, but all of these shows managed to have the words Free Beer! on the flyer.
Unfortunately none of these shows contained alcoholic beverages free of charge. Free Beer! was a thrash hardcore group from Mansfield, MA known throughout my area for their humorous stage antics and their desire to open literally every show even if their sound failed to fit the bill. Their live shows always proved to be hilariously entertaining especially considering frontman Mike Doolan’s absurd lyricsm exploring the themes of four loko chugging and proudly receiving fellatio at the Foxboro skate park during a rainstorm.
The band began to play less and less over time and eventually fizzled out until its drummer Tyler Kershaw announced his upcoming solo project Funeral Advantage. I was understandably expecting another nonsensical hardcore punk band upon hearing this news, but I was proven dead wrong on every imagineable level.
Funeral Advantage is not just any local music project. It is an incredible dream pop and jangle pop hybrid that has one of the strongest albums of 2015 under its belt. Body is Dead creates a lush atmosphere of endless dream pop soundscapes.
The sound Kershaw achieved could be compared to Turnover’s Peripheral Vision, but with a more cohesive flow and less redundant songwriting. Kerhaw’s vocals are ethereal, the guitar work both clean and beautiful-sounding, and incorporation of synthesizers may bring The Cure to mind at some points. The lyricism delves into dark nightmarish themes despite and its dreamy and happy sound.
Body is Dead is a beautiful work of art that you should check out especially if Peripheral Vision also graced your top albums of 2015 list.