The Service Industry

Calm Down. (Sauspop)

Onstage antics are a large part of the appeal of the Service Industry, but the sextet on disc is more restrained. Calm Down., its fourth, finds the local crew all over the musical map as ever, skewering modern life with spiked assurance. With a pedigree that includes Cher UK, the American People, Spoon, the Wannabes, and a list of Austin acts longer than your arm, the Service Industry knows how to dish up hooks galore, and guitars reign on Mike McCoy-penned tunes “Heart Repair” and “I Suppose So.” Julie Lowery offers up her best Pat Benatar on “Honey and Sprayed Hair,” while elsewhere one can pick out fragmented influences as seemingly chaotic as the Beach Boys, the Replacements, and Frank Zappa. Slavish attention to melody and lyrics unlike anything you’ve heard since the band’s last effort makes the Service Industry a primary set of Austin weirdos.

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This article appears in September 17 • 2010.

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