One thing that might not have gotten proper attention at the Monongahela Pop Festival* was the release of Burnout, by the local group that answers to the name of Benefits. It's been released on vinyl in a very limited edition on the band's imprint Adversarial Patterns and can also be heard on the Bandcamp link above.
The band sent me a download of the album several months ago, which I burned to CD and played often in the car. When the Harry Von Zells played with them back in 2019, the quintet played a sharp set of arranged, brainy pop songs. Burnout takes things in a completely different direction. It includes layers of vocals coming at all angles, in an almost rock opera sense, while style maintaining the catchy framework.
But you ain't heard nothing until you listen to the record with the lyric sheet in hand. Burnout is probably the only album where the lyric sheet has FOOTNOTES. A total of 30 notes for eight songs, some of them resembling mini-essays that add context to what is being sung. Most of the songs were written during and immediately following the pandemic. The mood is very dystopian but there are also moments of levity, like a reference to Pittsburgh's late Northway Mall, or "You Know the Place," in which vocalist Mike Baltzer adopts the role of a lounge singer/host, signing off cryptically. After reading through them while listening, it was clear that the band's cover choice at the Monongahela Pop Festival (the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter") was not simply a take on a classic song - it was chosen for the lyrical matter.
At the same time, the music on Burnout remains extremely catchy. Opener "How Am I Doing Now" has a chorus that's hard to shake. Chelsey Engel's high harmonies and counter vocals add to the power of the sound. The overall feeling of the album recalls the early work of Dead Kennedys in the way Benefits seems to blend such dark subject matter and cool tunes, with plenty of side notes to make sure you don't miss the point.
Of course it should be pointed out that Benefits sounds nothing like the mutant surf rock/hardcore sound of the DKs. The message is the common thread. So maybe Baltzer's lyrics are more of a distant relative to Bertolt Brecht or Kurt Weill. The eight songs barely last a half hour but they're dense enough to make a complete listening.
Benefits plays this Friday at Poetry Lounge, 313 North Ave., Millvale. The evening's bill also includes Stars of Disaster and Dumplings. Stars of Disaster released the album Love Won't Save You a few years ago, which needs to be heard by more people, especially fans of the dB's or Big Star. Dumplings don't have any records out (yet) but I hear they're in the works. Check them all out.
*Most folks who know me personally know about the Monongahela Pop Festival. But for those who don't, it was a two-night event at Government Center that included four bands each night. Benefits played on Saturday, October 4 with the Harry Von Zells (my band), Bat Radar and a reunited lineup of the Frampton Brothers. The night before, Greg Hoy & the Boys (Hoy being a Pittsburgh ex-pat, like many of the Framptons) headlined a show that also included the Garment District, the Denalis and Pink Gin Marimbas (I play drums in the latter band). Both nights were big successes, with Night 2 selling out.
The festival is one of the reasons why this blog went silent for a couple months too. But it also helped regenerate me, as the Dromfest '25.
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