The Wag – Blue Bottles and Copper Coins

Wait. Who does what?

The band formed in 1998 when Brian Ostering (vocals, bass guitar) met Alicia Van Sant (vocals, keyboard, percussion) during college. With similar musical interests/influences, they placed ads in the local newspaper to complete an ensemble, and Don Lee (vocals, guitar) and  Joshua Van Ness (vocals, drums, percussion) answered the call.

Time to face the music (i.e., hitting those highlights):

The album begins with “Got to Let You Know.” It attacks with big, gravelly electric guitar chords and an urgent arpeggio. Van Sant’s clean, crystal clear voice kicks in, and the song finds its capable emotional center. This is an upbeat number – and the music’s usual “upbeat” nature is responsible for the band name (because happy, upbeat dogs tend to wag their tails. Get it?).

Song #3, “With the Sun on Our Face,” is a beautifully sung and harmonized number with expressive, stress-free acoustic guitar strumming. This is a very positive, appreciative-of-the-moment song that makes one stop, breathe, and take in often missed moments of the glorious present.

Song #4, “Better Off That Way,” marches towards us with staccato snare strikes and clean, sliding guitar chords. Some strong male vocals here, and the staccato nature withdraws for the chorus; a more melodic, urgent passage that bends in interesting, unexpected ways. And then we’re back to the narrator/vocalist, and the answering, perhaps taunting voices. Clever, clever track with an especially excellent changeup for the bridge.

Song #6, “Fill It With Love,” starts with a “four on the floor” beat, and you expect something much heavier to follow. But, the song becomes unexpectedly lighter; it’s a more relaxed endeavor with casual acoustic guitars and an easily delivered vocal that doesn’t feel the need to over-emote. Lie back, drink some hot tea, and enjoy this floating, tension-free track.

Song #7,“Me and the Ghost,” begins with an engaging, ominous arpeggio breaking into something resembling a slightly more aggressive Tom Petty offering. This is EXCELLENT melodic rock with a stunning, harmony-laden chorus to positively elevate the emotional intent. There’s a little struggle, an obvious plight at play in this particular song, and this heightened state of…perhaps agitation… creates, in my opinion, the album’s strongest track.

Track # 9, “Breath by Breath,” creates a more dreamy environment with reverb-drenched guitar and a soft, perhaps digitally created beat. This one is quieter, more introspective; and it does gain strength when muted electric guitar notes chug towards a brief spike in energy and aggression. But it quickly subsides, and the spacious solemnity that rocked us gently under the sun? It returns, and continues to fill our heads with the pleasant dreams one has while nestled under daylight.

The album closes with a rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” And there’s a real energy here – in Van Sant’s voice, and in the band’s capable accompaniment. If you thought a modern band couldn’t touch the attitude of the original, well….you would be wrong, and the proof occurs after pressing “play.” (And it’s worth noting the little touches, the additional musical moments the band infuses, granting this already growling song a few more jagged teeth. Great rendition, and I bet it kills during live performances.)

But is it good?

Tell me, do you like good, immediately accessible music that actually embraces positivity, staying clear of a career submerged in the nearly cliched melodramatic?

Are you sick of excavating art from the apparently miserable, and long for a little musical sunshine?

Then you’re going to LOVE The Wag’s latest release, Blue Bottles and Copper Coins. It will make you smile; it will make you dance; and it will do these things without making you cry. Recommended.