Luke Cornwell’s Wallop Dollop catches your attention from the get-go. When you’re honing your songs in café’s like Cornwell has been doing, you have to find a way to be noticed above the din of cappuccino machines and the drone of conversation. This debut EP showcases Cornwell’s flair for theatrics, pairing playful storytelling with inventive acoustic arrangements.
Wallop Dollop begins with the spunky ditty “Good Morning Sunshine.” It’s an invitation to spend the day on a rollicking romp: taking a spin on the mall carousel, hanging at the park, and eating breakfast foods all day long. It’s a little earworm that I catch myself humming when I’m making coffee. I could almost imagine it in a film or television show, like when Bowling for Soup did the theme song for Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. It would even hold up next to a Moldy Peaches song on the soundtrack to the movie Juno.
Cornwell combines upbeat guitar melodies with punchy percussion from Noah Boss to create a sound that is a cross between art rock and punk folk. The lyrics are refreshingly whimsical, but also contain subtle tongue-in-cheek commentaries. Cornwell could have used almost any object to finish the line “Where is my…” A Google search I conducted suggested finishing the sentence with the words tax refund, mind, phone, or super suit. Instead, Cornwell chose the words oxygen mask, making the song a story about anxiety and a frantic, panicked search for his breathing apparatus. The anti-love ballad “Paint Thinner” recounts a laundry list of things Cornwell would rather do than be with the subject of the song.
Overall, Wallop Dollop is a study in contrasts. It’s punk and it’s folk. It’s sincere and it’s ironic. But one thing is for sure, it’s never boring!
Wallop Dollop was recorded in Rochester by Alexander Eschbach at Light 40 Studios. It features Cornwell on vocals and guitar, Noah Boss on drums and background vocals, and Amanda Kuzar on kazoo. Kuzar is also the one throwing blue goo at Cornwell on the album cover, which was photographed by Jason Ackerman. It’s available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Bandcamp. True to the DIY art aesthetic, a limited run of hand painted CD’s are also on sale via Bandcamp. Visit Luke Cornwell’s website for more information and updates.
Key Tracks: Good Morning Sunshine, Oxygen Mask, Paint Thinner
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