Francisco, the Man

I'm the type of dude with one pair of shoes. While have nothing against new shoes, I prefer the lived-in comfort of a good pair of broken-in sneakers. The way they are molded to your feet. They way they support your arches. The way they don't crowd your toes or give you blisters on a long walk. The way they slip on and off with minimal effort. They are like old friends that way. They don't get mad when you go barefoot one weekend. Don't get jealous when you opt for a pair of sandals at the beach. They just fit.

I first came across the band Francisco, the Man (FtM) when they opened for The Fling at the Echo in 2012 and they immediately fit. I went home and stalked them like an ex-girlfriend online and downloaded their first EP, With Friends like You and their subsequent single, Broken Arrows. And I've been in love ever since.

Francisco, the Man have been certified Syffal faves ever since. You guys got your Syffal cards I promised in the mail, right? It should get you guys one free bean and cheese burrito at Burrito King, one transfer Metro gold line ticket, a nod and a smile at Brooklyn Bagel, and a 7.25% discount at Out of the Closet, but only on corduroys.

FtM are about to release their first official full-length record, Loose Ends, on Small Plate/Fat Possum, and they've given me a Cialis-certified full-length appreciation for all the hard work they've put in over the last few years. Every stage, every festival, every backyard, every lackluster attendance, every appreciative convert, every throbbing crowd. Seems we've both GROWN quite a bit.

What I've loved about FtM from the very first note that penetrated my wax factories, was their unique combination of expansive soaring shoegaze sound held together with bass lines like rubber cement. I've previously called it fuzz funk. I find it hard to look at my shoes when my feet never stop dancing!

Néstor Romero, bass player descended from the gods, provides a low end theory worthy of very real worship. He is the throbbing soundtrack of soles meeting sidewalk. On Loose Ends, he continues this tradition of taking what would otherwise be a great band and elevated them to something unique, something untouchable. I've coined the Romero Rollick™ and I'm sticking with it. It might be the only cure for the Silverlake Shuffle. Lead singer Scotty Cantino's falsetto is the special secret sauce used by god when he created goosebumps. It soars like helicopters and hits home like a spotlight following a high speed chase down the 101 toward downtown. With Brock Woolsey, also of chillwave outfit New Division, gifted on guitar, and Abdeel Ortega rollicking rock rhythms like Ramses reign over the Red Sea, Francisco, the Man sounds like Echo Park smiled sweetly and said hello.

Loose Ends contains all new songs except for the recently released single, "Progress" and the previously released sneak peak, "In the Corners". "In the Corners" might be my favorite song, but I can't tell yet if it is because I'm so familiar with it or that it epitomizes everything I love about FtM, maybe both. It's granite bassline, lockstep drums, wide open guitar work, and chorus of, "Every time that I get high, I close my eyes and I ask why," combine to make the perfect introduction to this delicious quartet of indie rock gods.

Francisco, the Man, are like, from the first time I heard them, a good quality pair of comfortable shoes. I don't need to break them in. I don't need to rearrange my sense of fashion to feel good wearing them. I don't need to adjust my sensibilities to appreciate what they do. Hashtag: NoHypeBeast. They just fit.