THE END OF THE NEW COUNTRY by GET HELP
— Traveler’s Shave Kit —
— It Begins Well —
— The End of the New Country —
— All Else Fails —
— Sunlight’s Revenge —
— Punishing Good Deeds —
— Fall-in-Love-to Song —
— Red Jacket Orchards —
— Temporary Speed Zone —
— Life is Full of Surprises —
— General Winter —
— The Town Fires —
— Carne Asada —
— I Don’t Have the Stomach —
— Growing Circles —
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MDRF013 | October 2008 | 44:48 | Full Length CD
“Get Help makes gloomy but thoughtful guitar-rock that would fit comfortably in the post-punk era of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Get Help’s two primary members, Tony Skalicky and Mike Ingenthron, were in elementary school when bands like Joy Division were making music. But on their new CD, The End of the New Country, the duo cribs from post-punk with enough honesty and talent to keep from sounding like a cheap knock-off.
The End of the New Country opens on a somber note with “Traveler’s Shave Kit.” Plaintive guitar strums, gentle rhythms, a little slide guitar and mellotron set an appropriate tone for an album that scarcely cracks a smile over the course of 15 tracks.
The album’s title cut, like much of the CD, is full of resignation, as Skalicky sings about a world on the brink of collapse, with mobbed streets lined by burning buildings. “I think we’ve reached the end of the new country,” he sings. “And I think we know the rest of its history.” It’s grim, to be sure.
But it could also signal a new beginning: By the end of the album, with the dramatic squalls of feedback on the closer “Growing Circles,” the band seems to say that everything is going to be all right. “I am searching in growing circles,” Skalicky sings. “And I will find you, I am certain.”
Despite its darkness, The End of the New Country isn’t a downer, though it’s undeniably brooding and introspective. But there’s enough inspired beauty in the lyrics — and consistently impressive guitar work — to make the music uplifting at times.” — Robin Hilton, NPR
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“When a friend of mine at Evilsponge magazine played me some tracks by Get Help I thought I was hearing some lost Go-Betweens classic. (What a band they were. The late Grant McLennan is sorely missed around these offices. Note to self – put Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express into ‘Classic revisited’ section). Like the Australians, Get Help’s two songwriters share lead vocal duties and their quirky, lo-fi melodies will slip easily through your defenses. ‘Fall-in-love-to song’ certainly put me in mind of The Go-Betweens as did the superb ‘I don’t have the stomach’. Listen to the latter’s climactic line “A lonely lunatic tells an accidental truth, In finding you I have reclaimed my wasted youth” and tell me I’m wrong.
Would the full meal match up to the appetizer? I was determined to find out. The End of the New Country displays a slightly broader pallet than those initial songs hinted. This isn’t another Tallulah or 16 Lovers Lane. I get hints of Guided By Voices, Death Cab For Cutie and Yo La Tengo from Mike Ingenthron’s songs. Even Badly Drawn Boy is conjured during ‘The town fires’. By way of contrast, Tony Skalicky’s vocal timbre edges more towards Paul Banks or Matt Berninger territory. I might even venture to mention REM or a gentle Sugar. (That’d be Hüsker Dü then!) Fine reference points indeed. Add the McLennan and Forster factor and you’re onto a real winner.
Get Help employ witty and intelligent lyrics to complement their songcraft. Tongues are planted firmly in cheeks when you visit their website also. This gentle compendium of music (15 tracks over 45 minutes) is rendered utterly charming by the two contrasting, yet complementary talents. I gather this is only a side project of the two bands The Beatings (Boston) and Strikes Again (New York). I confess to having heard neither but on the strength of The End of the New Country, they may be a side-project but I can assure everyone there’s nothing only about Get Help.” — [Sic] Magazine
“For most musicians, making the music that they want to make while trying to make enough money to survive isn’t the easiest undertaking. Perhaps that’s why Tony Skalicky (from the Beatings) and Mike Ingenthron (from Strikes Again!) decided to try their hand at writing advertising jingles to cover the costs of recording the "real songs that came out of their collaboration. And for the most part, it’s hard to believe that making The End of the New Century wasn’t their original intention because it’s a solid debut effort. The two different vocalists on alternating tracks can be a little jarring, especially because Skalicky’s voice (reminiscent of Joy Divisions Ian Curtis) carries with it an apt bleakness mirrored in the lyrics. The music, while not dated, tips its hat to the birth of college radio and it isn’t difficult to hear the band’s acknowledgement of early R.E.M. as an influence. The overall mood is mellow and even the more upbeat songs continue the somberness in a way that suggests it might be time for the duo to finally quit their day jobs.” —Michael Edwards, Exlclaim
“Using teamwork and the Internet, the Beatings' Tony Skalicky and Strikes Again! drummer Mike Ingenthron have pieced together a pretty awesome song album. They share singing and songwriting duties. They're proud of their writing process - check their blog for B-sides and outtakes and stuff - and their album is polished and crafty. Its instrumental sound is consistent, full of guitars and reverb and a few sound effects, and though it's somewhat constrained by the lack of a drummer they work overtime on their Garageband and Pro Tools beats to compensate. But Get Help actually sounds like two distinct bands. Mike and Tony's individual lyrical and vocal leanings make for radically different songs. Tony is wry and oblique; Mike plays it earnest. So there's something for everyone! Unless you hate reverb. Then you're shit out of luck. Tony bellows many of his songs in a deep, dark voice like the guy from The National, except with slightly less conviction, which isn't a bad thing. With the notable exceptions of the arresting "Fall-in-Love-to Song" (radios play 'em at inopportune times) and fist-pumping closer "Growing Circles" (dig that error message sample!), he's cool and detached. This makes Mike's sweet act stand out, which is nice because Mike's lyrics are generally great. His tentative call to arms about the military and 'missing man formation' is a winner. So is his only semi-downer, the jarringly hypnotic breakup song, "All Else Fails." It's decidedly unspiteful. "Resistance to perspective keeps me safe from understanding/It's crucial to my planning/What we can do without," over dissonant strings and a jittery mid-tempo rhythm. Killer. Since these guys are big-s Songwriters, every song is put together with great care, and the result is charming and totally replayable. Sweet!” — Rhett Alexander, Indieville
“Get Help have deep and heavy messages in their songs, but they serve it to the listener in easily digestible spoonfuls. You'll end up feeling the weight of reality that outside forces put on your shoulders, but you'll also feel that some day those forces will be working with you, later on down the road. There is a future in Get Help's music, though the present seems bleak. The recurring themes of doom-and-gloom are compensated by themes of holding onto hope, and that determination is the key that opens the door to the future. Shalicky and Ingenthron sound like two lost souls in Get Help who know exactly what they are doing, and how they want to do it.” — Ultimate Guitar