(We are finally starting the process of reviewing some of the noteworthy local releases that have landed on our desks over the past few months. We realize that some of the reviews you'll read in the coming weeks address albums that might have been released a couple months ago, but hey, we're playing catch up here, ok?)

A while back in one of our comments sections, a brief discussion was held concerning the difference between parody and pastiche (I believe this was sandwiched between a debate regarding Kyle's fighting skills and another addressing the size of an anonymous commentator's penis). If I understand the two concepts correctly, the term pastiche typically refers to a work of art that, whether it be literary, musical, or of another medium, appropriates the artistic style of another artist, artistic movement or era with a light hearted and reverential sense of humor-- sort of a tongue in cheek nod, sans overt commentary, to a subject that the appropriating artist probably admires on certain levels while being fully aware of its perceived critical faults and artistic deficiencies. This is also probably just a long winded way of saying "wink wink nudge nudge," but it's almost impossible to avoid becoming indulgently abstract when discussing concepts of artistic criticism in any degree of detail. On the other hand, the concept of parody seems significantly simpler to define-- to borrow a bit from the highly respected art historian, Dude Who Wrote the Wikipedia Entry on Parody, parody is a "work created to mock, comment on or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, by means of humorous or satirical imitation." In other words, a work of parody requires deliberate and obvious mockery, whereas a pastiche generally leaves more to the imagination, never fully committing to any clear judgment regarding its subject other than some sort of vague gesture of detached, almost relativist cultural analysis. Pastiche seems to arise constantly in dance music as various retro musical movements fall in and out of favor as points of reference and inspiration, but parody, especially goofy parody, seems much less welcome among serious dance music listeners. And given the track record of "funny" dance music throughout modern history, there's a good reason for such rejection-- to put it plainly, dance parody usually isn't funny at all, it's just stupid.

At this point, it is probably more than a bit unclear as to what any of this has to do with Roy G and the Biv's debut self titled EP, but a casual first listen to this collection of songs will place these concepts front and center in the minds of even the most willfully obtuse listeners. The band's music, which can be described as blog-friendly, disco leaning dance pop packed with nods to 80's R&B, contemporary Australian and English hipster dance and 70's soul and funk, typically seems to fall into one of the above categories depending on the song. The problem is that the record leans far too close to parody more often than not, and no matter how abstract or frivolous this issue might seem at first, it ends up being the main drawback to an otherwise entertaining and highly promising local debut. To put it another way-- are these guys joking? And if so, is it funny?

Of course, this isn't to say that the members of Roy G and the Biv aren't sincere or serious in what they do, at least in some respects. Each and every aspect of the production and crafting of this set of tracks is rather impressive as far as tastefulness, musicianship and execution, and the group's knack for writing a catchy electro pop tune is more or less unparalleled in the current North Texas music scene. In fact, it's difficult to listen to anything on this EP and not imagine the possibility of the duo one day being able to pen a guilty pleasure top 40 dance single for an artist that you might not admit to liking.

Standout track "Nicotine" is a perfect example-- clearly the strongest song on the record, things get started with the bold and memorable proclamation of "I can be your nicotine" before blasting into a studio slick late 70's/early 80's funk r&b bassline accompanied by soulful, sugary keyboard flourishes and an instantly infectious groove that almost commands physical participation, recalling legendary groups like Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire, Chic and Cameo (as well as newer ones such as Chromeo and some of Justin Timberlake's Timbaland produced material). The full chorus, "I can be your nicotine/it's heaven when you're smoking me," is a bit silly and dirty in a middle school sort of way, but it's clever enough to work in a song that is otherwise virtually flawless-- a dance floor ready pop gem that could almost pass for a long lost single from the immediately post-disco early 80's. It's cheesy in the best sort of "wink wink nudge nudge" sense without crossing over into the realm of parody, and it is effective because of it.

Elsewhere, however, the goofy humor is taken to another level, approaching a Sandleresque level of cutesy funny that makes Beck sound like Ian Curtis. Unfortunately, it's all very hard to look past, and more often than you'd like, Roy G and the Biv take the parody route and nearly drive themselves into a ditch. "Socks On," for example, is in most respects an excellent dance track taken straight from the Quincy Jones/Timbaland/Neptunes playbook. However, the chorus, "I keep my socks on/when I get my rocks off" is just so suburban cute (and not really funny) that it almost becomes insulting-- it comes off as a failed attempt to parody the sometimes oversexed 70's and 80's R&B from which the group pulls its musical influences, and their unwillingness to take themselves seriously makes it difficult for the listener to as well. These guys obviously have the songwriting knack, singing voices and production experience to do whatever the fuck they want within their preferred genres, but the EP's lyrical content often comes off paper thin, like a less convincing Har Mar Superstar attempting to cover Sebastian Tellier and failing to pull it off (such as when the group addresses the subject of interracial romance with a song entitled "Jungle Fever"). This problem arises in several other spots throughout the record, often hijacking otherwise impeccable tracks and forcing the listener to focus on the group's weakest link-- their lyrics.

This isn't to say that parody is a bad thing in and of itself, of course, nor that groups shouldn't attempt to incorporate humor into their songwriting. But cuteness just doesn't suit Roy G and the Biv very well, especially when one considers how effective these songs would be if these dudes would just stop goofing off so much. Despite these drawbacks, it should be said that in most respects, this is a fantastic debut that really deserves to be heard, and I wouldn't be shocked to hear almost any of these tracks in a club some time soon. But a bit of growing up is in order for Roy G and the Biv, because if these guys can shake their desire to parody their own inspirations and instead move into more subtle forms of self aware humor, not only would their songs become funnier, some of them might even have a chance to become hits.

(3 of 5)
The EP can be purchased on the band's Myspace page or via Itunes