Album Review: ‘Here’s What You Do’ by Jake McKelvie & the Countertops

By Tom Carlson

Jake McKelvie is the genius behind “Jake McKelvie & the Countertops.” Though their Bandcamp page says they’re out of Massachusetts, I first knew them as a Keene, NH band, and then McKelvie as a solo artist out of New York City playing with the likes of lyrical genius Jeffrey Lewis. It has been years since we’ve seen a full-length album from the group, their last big release being 2014’s “Solid Chunks of Energy.” Six years later, Jake McKelvie and the Countertops' new record, “Here’s What You Do,” is everything I’ve known to love from the group and more.  

I first saw Jake McKelvie & the Countertops at the Keene Music Festival in Keene, NH. It was 2014 and it was love at first sight. It wasn’t just the music, or brilliant lyrics, or vocal quality like no other, part of what drew me in so quickly was a stage presence akin to David Byrne in its unpredictability. 

One of the poetic geniuses of McKelvie’s lyrics has to be his uses of alliteration, syllable weight and puns. (JM&TC)

My wording perhaps serves little justice to the spectacle - the stage presence of the Countertops is wacky, silly, whimsical, adventurous. McKelvie does splits, waves his body in lanky strides, and headbangs alongside bassist Nick Votruba. Though I certainly miss the stage presence, “Here’s What You Do,” fulfills and exceeds musical expectations set by the group from their previous releases. In my mind, Jake McKelvie & the Countertops music is built on three pillars. Inescapable danceability, McKelvie’s unique vocal stylings, and consistent lyrical genius that you will wish you had thought of. 

Inescapable Danceability: The Countertops is a trio of Jacob C. McKelvie ( electric/acoustic guitars and vocals), Nicholas J. Votruba (bass and backup vocals), and Matt Bacon (drums and backup vocals). Bacon hits hard with combinations of steady rock beats, lyrical hits, and fast fills with perfect timing and dynamics. Vortuba’s bass lines are filled with slides up and down the neck, strong rhythms, and unbelievable use of pedals to create interesting textures in ways that almost sound like synthesizers. McKelvie’s guitar strums/hits hard while leaving space to show his apparent deep love for country western in his fingerpicking. 

McKelvie’s unique vocal stylings: possibly influenced by his aforementioned love for the great country-western stars of the past, McKelvie sings with a twang. His voice was one of the first things that caught me on that day in Keene walking by where the band was playing under a tent. I actually don’t have any more words to describe it, I love his voice, I love it so much and it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard.

The consistent lyrical genius that you will wish you had thought of: One of the last times that I saw McKelvie live, he described all his latest compositions as being about food. He wasn’t serious but in a way, he wasn’t wrong — this album is filled with lines about food, titles about food, jokes about food, including but not limited to, "drink a bunch of stuff without referencing a brand name, you could empty your heart and refill it with aspartame.” 

Lyrically the album is funny through a lens of deep sincerity for the absurdity in the little details of life and love - and sometimes it stings in lines such as “well first you’re a homeowner, then you’re a comb-over, checking your license to confirm you’re an organ donor.” 

One of the poetic geniuses of McKelvie’s lyrics has to be his uses of alliteration, syllable weight, and puns. These include quick opening lines like "concerning the point, if you found one to make,” and strings of rhymes painting images from the coffee-stained corners of McKelvie’s mind - "I’m a born hide and seeker, an old worn-out sneaker, a mandatory middle school assembly guest speaker." 

Please go listen now and purchase your own copy of Jake McKelvie & The Countertops new record “Here’s What You Do,” available on Bandcamp here.

Tom is a culture writer for La Tonique.