Evangenitals – Self-Titled

by Janet Goodman

I have big respect for LA Alternative Americana band, Evangenitals.  First of all, founder and lead singer Juli Crockett is a force not to be denied.  A retired professional boxer whose stunning career was cut short by injury, her boxing tapes were sent to people working on the Clint Eastwood, Academy Award-winning film, “Million Dollar Baby”.  Add to her resume vegan, ordained minister and PhD candidate in Philosophy.  Musically, her band is also forging their own niche, with eclectic song selection, slightly askew lyrics, self-effacing humor and raw productions, inspired by trailblazers like David Byrne of Talking Heads.

Their self-titled EP features seven songs, all co-written by Crockett and band members.  The songs are quirky, and at moments, styles are irritating, but somehow they win us over with a delightful personality that shines through in the end.  Crockett’s alto is reminiscent of Natalie Merchant, but with her touch of Alabama twang, she has found her own unique voice.

First track “Hello” is downright catchy, and the contemporary/retro vibe could become a cult classic, perhaps headed for a future Target or Old Navy television commercial.  The happy-go-lucky percussion on “Hard Luck Song” contradicts the dire situation in the verses, but is arguably justified in the chorus: “I have no money in the bank/My ship came in and then it sank/I got no living kin for three thousand miles/I got no wife, I got no child/But I’m free/Yeah I’m free/No one cares what I do/No one hears what I say/No one tells me, “don’t go please stay’”. 

The band’s trademark is their penchant for unexpected lyrical twists, with ever present optimism.  Maddening, monotonous repetition of verses in “Work Song” (the same verse is repeated six times) mixed with melodramatic drumming, accordion and guitar stylings, slowly morph into surreal verses dreaming of freedom, of quitting the job and traveling to Rome, only to settle back into the humdrum rhythm of life by verse nine.  It is a rare brave and startling attempt at a creative lyric.

“Home”, with its near-washboard band arrangement, has a minute-long outro that walks us into a house full of people and the joyful cacophony of noise that follows.  Revealing a broader vocal range is “So Sweet”, with a bare-bone simple sentiment about the man she loves.  One-dimensional “Bad Town’ is toe-tapping mountain music, with a story about “everybody in this town is bad”, but falls short of a badly needed something, maybe an ending-with-a-twist. 

Gimmick-free “I’m Sad” stands out with its honest emotion, smooth accompaniment of melancholy fiddle, soft-touches of guitar and drum brushes; but even Crocket’s sad songs aren’t sad for long, because of the hopeful metamorphosis by the song’s end. 

Evangenitals are unconventional, creative risk-takers who are - at times - too much to take, yet too gutsy to be ignored.  I hope these underground bohemian diamonds stay true to themselves; they should never be tampered with.

Check out their website: www.evangenitals.com