The Rosebuds conjure a dystopian dance

INDIANAPOLIS April 24, 2008 02:24 pm

— There’s something incongruous about The Rosebuds’ sound.
The Raleigh-based duo’s lyrics explore human suffering in twisted, Lewis Carroll-like prose. Metaphors like animals possessing human qualities accentuate the creepy quotient.
Their 2007 record “Night of the Furies” was inspired by a tropical depression that The Rosebuds (Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard) survived while huddled in their home. The aforementioned Furies are furious Roman female goddesses of vengeance.
“Our senses were piqued,” Crisp said of the occasion. “In that nervousness we started talking and I started telling stories about the Furies, like what if we could have (them) intervene?”
Out of one misadventure came the ballast for a trenchant tale that comprises The Rosebuds’ entire third CD.
“All of the songs we make come out of our own weird, creative world that we entertain ourselves with,” said Crisp, who plays keyboards and shares vocal duties with guitarist Howard. “I say weird in that it’s different from watching TV, but it’s normal for us.”
And yet their dark visions are matched with oddly candy-colored, though sometimes-pastel, music.
“It doesn’t strike us as odd to pair a disturbing story or image (with rhythmic music),” said Crisp while The Rosebuds were finishing their fourth record before hitting the road. “We write stories, and we want them to mean something in the sense they should function as a statement. But the song should come first. The music should be able to be itself, and the lyrics should stand on their own.”
What the combination does is bring out a literary crowd that loves to dance. That can bring its own quirks. The song “Boxcar,” from The Rosebuds’ second CD “Birds Make Good Neighbors,” has been known to elicit a strong response. While the buoyant music is popular with children, the lyrics — an adult fantasy about being able to run away and “re-parent” yourself — attract an older fan base.
“It’s weird to play that live because it has a dance beat to it, and I see people screaming the lyrics at me and dancing,” Crisp said. “It’s disturbed me to the point of tears. It seems so desperate and insane and beautiful.”
Those dichotomous adjectives somewhat describe The Rosebuds. It was only meant to be a side project for Howard and Crisp, an outlet to their serious muses. Only it worked so well it’s become their focus.
“It was kind of like having your first high school band and then getting signed to a major independent record label, and having to start thinking about how you would take that seriously,” Crisp said. “We’ve been trying to work that out. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get it right.”
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Online:
www.therosebuds.com

Photos

The Rosebuds’ rhythmic music may be an invitation to the dance floor, but its themes are not. Kristine Larsen