Fluid Ounces, The Whole Shebang

Fluid Ounces is a Tennessee-based studio project/on-again, off-again live band, the brainchild of sweet-voiced popsmith by the name of Seth Timbs. The Whole Shebang is my first exposure to these folks, and it’s absolutely one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had this year. Manic, jazzy piano-driven numbers (the leadoff “Paperweight Machine,” “Crazies”) bump up against mellow, jaunty acoustic guitar grooves (“Lazy Bones,” “Selma Lou”) and outright electric rockers (“Fool Around,” “Hung On Every Word”). There’s a gospel tinge to the churchy “Big Deal (out of nothing),” and the Fl. Ozs. even echo either Elton John or the John Lennon Plastic Ono Band on the arch “Nobody Loves You (like you do).” Tremendously canny songwriting carries the day; this is a batch of vibrant, crunchy, exuberant tunes packed with sunshine and bonhomie. I’ve seen a few myopic comparisons of Fluid Ounces to Ben Folds kicking around the Web already, but don’t believe ’em — Mr. Timbs has his own thing going, and at the rate he’s progressed, he might as well pack it up, go to New York, and stage that musical that’ll give the Avenue Q people a run for their money. Hell, I’d even buy the T-shirt.