Seattle Subsonic

Locals Colby Imus and the Good Lieutenants

May 11th, 2008

A few months ago I stopped by Greenwood’s Wayward Cafe to check out Bay area transplant Colby Imus and The Good Lieutenants. I was informed they were a loud rock band, but under strict guidelines by Wayward, were limited to playing a hushed acoustic set that evening.

Though I’m a pushover for mellow acoustic gigs, this particular down-tempo set left me mesmerized. In fact, I couldn’t fathom Imus’ gorgeous vocals being swept away in any heavy electric drone.

Fast forward a couple of months. Colby Imus and The Good Lieutenants now have their music on disc, their first release titled The Good Lieutenant. Not surprisingly, it sounds vastly different from my recollection of Wayward. But despite a harder sound – think early nineties alt-rock infused with garage and blues – Imus’ deep, luscious vocals remain the cardinal draw, and in no way get lost in the added density of sound. His music is raw but heartfelt, his writing nostalgic and sentimental, and his sound refreshingly oblivious of any indie-rock influence so superfluous in music today. Backed by a band of polished musicians, Imus’ first release is engaging from beginning to end.

The Good Lieutenant begins with the dark, catchy track, Waterfall Mirage. Though the first few songs set a predominantly hard-rock tone, Imus presents his versatility by veering towards a gentler and more reflective place midway through the album. One of my favorites, Follow Me Down the Road, is seductive and sultry with its blues-y undertones.

In Parting, the listener is drawn into Imus’ grief as he sings “gone now all but washed out memories, it took a parting quest to find out what I need…”. And in the heavy electric thrashing on Cherry Flavored Morphine, catchy phrase “..you swore you were fine…in summer time and barley wine”, repetitively lingers in my head long after each listen. Imus’ songwriting is captivating and strikes various moods. He pulls the listener into whatever emotions seethe from his lyrics.

Colby Imus and the Good Lieutenants are working on a second album and look to play more shows in the Seattle area. High Dive, Comet and/or Sunset Tavern – we are anxiously awaiting to see these guys already!

Click here to listen to their current stuff.

Colby Imus and band are comprised of Imus on lead vocals, guitar, theremin and harmonica, Brian Seifipour on guitar, synth, keys, and sax, Tim Romain on bass, and Steve Fox on drums.