The Elvis Brothers (drummer Brad, singer, bassist Graham and guitarist Rob) from Champaign, Illinois have roots in many local bands of that area (some credible, others cringeable); together, they play a marvelous (and deceptively simple) concoction of slicked-up rockabilly, stripped-down Cheap Trick-tinged melodic rock'n'roll and pristine pure pop that boasts superbly articulated energy, occasionally goofy lyrics and enough hooks to catch a school of minnows. Movin' Up traverses a panoply of mildly bent styles, from mock-Stray Cats (\"Fire in the City\") to Dave Edmunds-ish rock'n'roll (\"Hey Tina\") to Anglo-pop (\"Hidden in a Heartbeat\") to countryfied rock (\"Santa Fe\") and much more. Sure, they futz around a lot (especially onstage), but their silliness never interferes with the serious task — playing catchy pop with maximum gusto. It may not mean a lot, but the album is truly mega-fun.
Adrian Belew's more complex production of \"Adventure Time\" doesn't dampen the E-Bros.' essentially lighthearted spirit. There are a couple of socially responsible messages about gun control and insanity in the modern world but, by and large, the Elvises go about their business with typical happy-go-lucky aplomb. From the high-powered rock'n'roll of \"Burnin' Desire\" and \"Somebody Call the Police\" to the gentle beauty of \"Crosswinds\" and the clockwork pop precision of the Japanese fan tribute \"Akiko Shinoda,\" they effortlessly toss off tune after tune of infectious should-be-hits. The two albums were subsequently paired on a single CD (now outrageously rare and OOP) under the debut's title. The Brothers were dropped from Portrait mid-'80s after some personell changes at the label left them without support. Trouser Press
After the Big Hello episode, Brad Elvis formed Handcuffs and released the excellent \"Model For A Revolution\" (2006) and recently played drums with The Romantics.
Graham Elvis released the beatlesque \"Analog 88\" in 2006, \"The Graham Elvis Brothers\" in 2007, and has just released \"Sure\".
Songs
(I Know You) Shake It / It's So Hard / Hidden in a Heartbeat / Hey Tina / Red Dress / Fire in the City / Here We Go Again / Movin' Up / Santa Fe / Full Speed Straight Ahead / You Got Me / Long Gone / Burnin' Desire / Somebody Call the Police / Don't Take My Guns Away / Holy Moly / Crosswinds / Count to Three / I Wonder Why / Akiko Shinoda / Chin Up / Big Ideas
