Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me Tracklisting
I Like LA
Hippy Provider
Evil Is Easy
Techno Tuesday
The Entertainer
Reading And Writing About Partying
Dim Limelights
(They Found Me In The Back Of) The Galaxy
I’m Closed
Little Town Flirt
Return To Foam
Sunny Backyard
Fidelity
Press Quotes
“You always wonder, listening to deliberately lo-fi albums, whether the fuzz is there to cover up weaknesses, and what these songs would sound like if you could actually hear them. In The Intelligence’s case, they sound pretty damned good. I’m just not sure that would hold true for everyone.” - Dusted
"Everybody's Got It Easy But Me is at once the Intelligence's most lyrically direct and musically exploratory album to date, introducing pastoral psychodelia, space-age bachelor-pad vibes, and at least one proper ballad to the mix."
- Pitchfork
"Although Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me is notably less frenzied and raw than the band’s past decade of output, The Intelligence has not lost their edge, despite some of the slower, acoustic-based numbers. Rather, they’ve created an often thrilling voyage that defies repetition and predictability." - Cosequence of Sound
"Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me is a punk rock record that sporadically soothes your spirit, gets you pogo-ing, and almost always will make you dance. The Intelligence (and lest we forget Shannon Shaw) have made a rock record that anyone could ask for, and that everyone should remember." - Heave Media
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Tour Dates
10/04 - The Satellite - Los Angeles, CA
10/06 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO
10/08 - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
10/09 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI~
10/10 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
10/11 - The Lager House - Detroit, MI*
10/12 - The Garrison - Toronto, ON*
10/13 - ll Montore - Montreal, QC*
10/14 - Le Cercle - Quebec City, QC*
10/15 - Signal Kitchen - Burlington, VT
10/18 - CMJ - New York, NY
10/19 - CMJ - New York, NY
10/20 - AS220 - Providence, RI*
10/21 - Whitson's - Purchase, NY*
10/22 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA*%
10/23 - Black Cat (backstage) - Washington, DC*%
10/24 - Duke Coffeehouse - Durham, NC*
10/25 - Earl - Atlanta, GA*#
10/26 - Nobby's - St. Augustine, FL*
10/28 - Will's Pub - Orlando, FL*
10/30 - Retrofit Records - Tallahassee, FL*
10/31 - Bottle Tree - Birmingham, AL*^
11/01 - One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA*
11/02 - Victoria House - Beaumont, TX*
11/05 - Low Spirits - Albuquerque, NM
11/06 - Topaz Tundra - Tucson, AZ
11/07 - Yucca Tap Room - Phoenix, AZ
11/08 - The Griffin - Sand Diego, CA
* w/ King Tuff
%w/ Poor Moon
# w/ Mike Watt
^ w/ Man or Astroman?
~ w/ footballs
The Intelligence have been a band / musical project since 1999. To date The Intelligence have released seven singles, five split singles, two EPs, seven albums and have made eight compilation appearances. I’ve probably even missed a couple. They join the ranks of artists like Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall in the department of those whose output could be considered hyper-prolific or impossible to keep up with. That said, like the afore mentioned artists, with each release The Intelligence continue to evolve, grow artistically and top themselves. And, YES, you do need to keep up with all the releases.
On “Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me' The Intelligence do indeed top themselves. Like their last album, “Males” from 2010, they have returned to The Hangar with Chris Woodhouse to record. As with “Males” they seem to continue to jettison their previous deliberate blown-out, lo-fi recording approach for a much clearer sound. Not that there’s any give-up in intensity. The band’s scrambling post-punk guitars, its straight-up, dry-as-a-bone drums, its laconically abstract verses are all here, just viewed through an unusually clear lens. If you didn’t have the songs or the chops this sort of thing could reveal some weaknesses but, in this instance, it showcases Lars Finberg’s knack for writing catchy songs, which incorporate pop hooks, metronomically repetitive guitar riffs and new wavey synth moves.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, "The Intelligence" are the brainchild of Lars Finberg (former of the A-Frames, currently of Thee Oh Sees and Wounded Lion). The Intelligence began as a studio project in which Finberg played all instruments on his home recordings. As the band began to play live and tour the releases have volleyed between full band recordings and Lars layering all tracks himself. On “Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me” Finberg has gone for a mixed approach. Having recently relocated to Los Angeles, Lars assembled an LA line up of the band. Still spending much time at the band’s original home base of Seattle, he has retained a separate line up in that city as well. For this new album he has used them both….as well as doing some songs all by himself. He also invited a number of guests to come in and add to it. The result is the most varied yet cohesive Intelligence album to date.
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