Beulah formed in 1996 when office co-workers Miles Kurosky and Bill Swan realized they had similar tastes in music and decided to give it a go as a band. Championed by The Apples in Stereo frontman Robert Schneider, the band released its first single and album in 1997. Over the course of their eight year career, the band toured extensively and released four albums, five singles, and one demo album. Unfortunately, a lack of commercial success (Beulah was quite well received critically) eventually lead to their demise--the band vowed if its fourth album didn't go gold they'd call it quits, and when it didn't, Beulah kept its promise, disbanding in 2004. Kurosky has released one solo album in the years since, and the band has joined him for the odd charitable cause, but for all intents and purposes, it is kaput.
"Gene Autry" was a track from their 2003 album The Coast Is Never Clear (bonus points for a clever, if somewhat disheartening, title). The song was not released as a single, thus we have no shout outs for Billboard magazine this week.
Fun Fact: For those wondering (both of you) Beulah is a synonym for Israel, often in its incarnation as the Promised Land. Fascinating, my God....
Near as I can tell, "Gene Autry" tells the tale of a man listening to Gene Autry as he heads for California, where he hopes to find himself or happiness, all the while fearing he'll lose himself and his shot at happiness. The song's peppy music underlies the lyric's sometimes depressing overtones, but if one listens carefully one will be rewarded with a plethora of highlights. Kurosky has a soothing vocal style, and he makes great use of repetition ("I will ride, ride, ride" or "I'll sing along, long, long") to give the tune a sing along feel. The lyrics are subtle without being obtuse, and Kurosky can turn a phrase as the saying goes. The band for its part provides a multi-layered musical escape--the song opens with some pure power pop guitar chords, makes nice use of a piano, features bells in the chorus, and right before the coda makes use of some Latin flavored horns, and amazingly enough, it really works. If you're a pop music fan and you don't like this one, you're probably no longer among the living--a wonderful slice of pop's Promised Land (so to speak).
Lyric Sheet: "When I get to California/Gonna write my name in the sand/I'm gonna lay this body down/And watch the waves roll in..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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