Skip to main contentGrowing up, my favorite television show was Pee-Wee's Playhouse. I was especially fond of his video calling booth, inside of which he had a number of different pull-down backdrops and accessories, so that it could appear Pee-Wee was speaking to you from some exotic island, the North Pole or a dude ranch when he answered the phone. I am more than a little reminded of that Pee-Wee tradition as I watch Rex Marshall perform "Only Lonely Souls," the near-title track from his new record, as Mattress here today.
I'm a fan of Marshall'sâboth his Mattress work and his co-fronting of the Reservationsâbut if I'm to be totally honest, I find the song kind of woozy and annoying. Marshall's voice is the main attraction in Mattress' music, but here he's groaning more than commanding, and by the end of the three and a half-minute tune, I'm a little tired of the message. Other songs on the forthcoming Field Hymns EP, like "Forget My Name" and "Shake Me," do a better job of balancing this willfully claustrophobic, repetitive sound with neat effects that keep me interested.
The video, thoughâdirected by Tiga bartender, bassist, visual artist and man-about-town Jay Winebrennerâknocks my socks off in an early MTV/Tim & Eric sorta way. There's nothing especially funny about itâwell, a floating cattle skull is funny to me, but I also laugh while watching The 700 Clubâbut it's memorable, colorful and striking.
And in case you've never seen Pee-Wee, here's a clip with the video phone (sans awesome backdrop)...
WWeek 2015
