Rating: NNN
Patients frontman Stu Bishop has a voice that’s the sonic equivalent of that hilarious drunk guy who’s fun to do carbombs with at the bar but turns from funny to obnoxious when he follows you out of the club and gets all up in your face. He’s all boozy swagger, whether moaning over girls or sneering with mock bravado about the gorgeousness of his crew, affecting a Verlaine-ish nasal whine or trying for a slightly hairier-chested growl as befits the variety of jangly, lurching tunes on Get Well Soon. If you can’t stand Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Patients might make you cringe – their arrangements are engagingly loose and diverse, balancing shuffling piano fills with sharp, wavery guitar riffs and tight percussion, but Bishop’s constantly front and centre, barking at you with a confident smirk.
The Patients launch their CD at the Silver Dollar Friday (April 6).
