New York City’s Noshows is a band that can honestly do virtually anything they like and pull it off. They wow audiences with a potpourri of musical influences ranging from alt-rock, funk, hip-hop, jazz, and pop songcraft. Their talents with pop, alt-rock, and a smattering of funk burn bright during their latest single “Paranoid”. You can hear the funk coming across in the deep groove they latch onto from the song’s outset and the rhythm section’s decisive bounce. Pop influences are overwhelming. Songwriter Max Satow’s melodic gifts are all over this track.
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You hear in the instrumental melodies, the vocal melody, and the deft turns Satow and his bandmates execute throughout the track. You hear it in the tight integration of the various instruments into an unified whole. The alt-rock touches are important as well. Satow is a talented guitarist, contemptuous of needless flash, yet more than capable. His playing puts an emphatic exclamation point on the song’s conclusion that listeners won’t soon forget.
The rhythm section plays a crucial role in the song’s development. Bass player and backing vocalist Zac Munowitz plants an outsized pulse in the heart of the track that holds the listener’s attention. Isaac Pincus’ impervious timekeeping as drummer is the sleeper element holding the song together. He lays down an assertive beat that gives Satow and the other musicians the necessary foundation for weaving the song’s magic.
This review would be remiss if it didn’t mention Amedeo Corey and Dylan Satow’s contributions. Corey’s keyboard playing has as much of a pivotal role in the song’s impact as Max Satow’s guitar work and crackles with kinetic energy lighting up the entire tune. Dylan Satow doesn’t have the same prolonged effects on the song that the other players do, but his trumpet provides the song with an unforgettable opening salvo.
“Paranoid” is a little bit a song about love, albeit offbeat, and a little bit character study. Satow writes from the vantage point of personal experience without ever succumbing to obscurity. Many, if not all, listeners will relate to the song’s message. He doesn’t have a classically beautiful voice but brings a wealth of emotion to every line. The most important contribution from his singing, however, is the sense of stakes he conveys. He sings like delivering this song is the most important thing in his life at this given moment.
We need more music like this. We always do. Max Satow and the other members of Noshows fully commit themselves to each second of “Paranoid” and the conviction will fire you up. It’s inspiring. There’s nothing premeditated or cookie-cutter about the way they attack the song and it’s easy to imagine how it plays in a live performance. Perhaps the release of “Paranoid” will provide them with their ticket to a wider audience than ever before. This New York City five piece definitely deserves that and so much more. Let’s hope they return soon with even greater music – I’ll be listening and you should be too.
Garth Thomas