A Fairy Tale Beginning

Cartoon Bar Fight would like you to get comfortable as they tell you a story all their own.  Listening to the band's first EP entitled Tell All the Children, you realize that you are leaving the world you know behind and taking a journey into the world of Cartoon Bar Fight. A world complete with rich, meaningful lyrics that blend well with a relaxed and diverse melody pattern that captures the greater effort of a band that is having an intimate conversation with its listeners. This band, from San Jose, California, captures the folk/indie scene, all from their apartment living room. This new EP taps into the inner child of the listener with its soothing sounds that perform like an adult lullaby or an ode to bedtime stories. But be warned, this fairy tale EP does not come with a “Disney ending.” This is a very mature and polished first EP that captures a young band's comment on the world around them as they navigate the endless possibilities of their form and talents. 

Cartoon Bar Fight meticulously plots out a map that will resonate within your conscious as they touch on issues of identity, flawed love, and how not every story ends the way you might have imagined it should. The songs are driven by beautiful imagery and gentle expressiveness, all of which is juxtaposed by the broken reality of the world that is fashioned by lead singer Kendall Sallay. She delivers an impassioned and captivating performance as the storyteller in this folk opera. Sallay's striking delivery is based in large part on her band mates’ (Dirk- Keyboard, Banjo; Michael- Drums, Percussion; Joel- Electric Guitar; Maxwell- Bass) eclectic and refreshing style that allows her to reach such heights with their engaging and melodic tone. The diversity of instruments and their ability to change pace allows them a freedom to explore different realms of their musical ability. Their ability to possess a certain freedom and to stay fresh and flowing becomes a signature calling card on this EP, as they never settle into a pattern. With each song comes a change of scenery, as if transporting the listener from one chapter to the next. It is with each carefully crafted strum of the guitar or somber touch of the piano that CBF exudes a greater emotion that becomes palpable to the listener. The listener no longer sits on the outside as a casual observer; rather they are invited to take part in the metaphysical world laid out before them. 

Tell all the Children is an EP brimming with life. Though its subject matter strays from the “rainbows and puppy dogs” feel, it is genuine and expressive. From the opening songs "Fairy Tale" and "Miles and Miles" that exude a mood of vulnerability and tenderness, all while drawing a dark cloud of cynicism on happy endings, to the latter songs "Tell All the Children" and "My One True Love" that show a more playful, upbeat side, all while still remaining uniquely genuine in thought and style. The true gem of this EP is found in the song "Grace." Sallay uses a subtle and gentle treatment of her voice, matched with the unique sound of the ukulele, to compliment the sweet caress and breezy flow of the instrumentals to create a mood of peaceful tranquility. The final track “My One True Love” strikes me as an odd last song to what is, to this point, a strong EP. It lacks the power and vision of the earlier songs and does not seem to fit with the previously established theme of viewing fairytales through a more cynical lens.  

Cartoon Bar Fight has produced a very thoughtful and poignant first EP.  Much like filmmakers Spike Jonez and Tim Burton, who create fantasy worlds that go against the traditional, the music of Cartoon Bar Fight uses that same formula in creating a surreal landscape that is flipped on its head with their lyrical antithesis of a fairy tale ending. With their ability to paint a vivid landscape, through metaphorical lyrics and skillful instrumentals, the album takes the shape of a beautiful narrative that continually evolves into, what may become, something we will one day tell all of our children about.