Sucka Brown: Unclassifiable, undeniably catchy

“What do they sound like?”
Sometimes it’s an easy question to answer. Sometimes not. In the case of Boston’s own Sucka Brown, it is, and it isn’t. Their myspace page refers to them as “rock / funk / pop” as well as “dance rock.” Lead singer Brendan Hall jokingly proposes, “a couple of tin cans inside a trash barrel,” and only slightly more seriously a “Chili Peppers, INXS, Talking Heads mashup.” Other comparisons include Incubus, Maroon 5, and 311, none of which makes all that much sense.

But is such categorization really necessary? What Sucka Brown does is play fun, funky rock that begs to incite good times. It’s catchy and difficult to resist, even for us Americans. “Bands like the Kooks and Arctic Monkeys, they’re putting out good records, upbeat and fun music, and that’s what we try and do,” Hall says, “for whatever reason people want to trash things instead of recognizing that catchy music is sustainable.”

The catchiness of Sucka Brown is undeniable, as is their musical proficiency. Their new album, What Elephant?, was released on Tuesday and features grooves reminiscent of !!! crossed with more singable hooks. “Playback” is radio-ready, and indeed Sucka Brown has been featured on many local stations including WBCN.

What Elephant? is the band’s first studio record for a label, and they have definitely benefited from the higher production values. “It worked out great. I think a lot of the songs came out as great as they did because we were forced to not over think. A big goal was to get our live energy on the recording, just get the four of us in a room and keep the energy,” explains Hall.

The band brings that live show to T.T. the Bear’s place on Friday for their CD release party. Asked what to expect, Hall responded, “We have some guest stars on a couple of tunes. There might be a surprise cover in there somewhere, you never know. Overall it’s a great bill; we’re psyched to play with Harris, same thing with The Jealousy Curve.”

“Boston’s been a really good place for us,” says Hall. Sucka Brown, who helped sell out the Paradise Rock Club with fellow funk-rockers Parker House and Theory earlier this year, competed in last year’s WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble and have since enjoyed a rising popularity level among area colleges. “A lot of those kids come out to shows at the Paradise, the Middle East, T.T.’s. Being in a city like Boston there are so many bands, so many good bands, so many crappy bands too, but it’s harder to get the attention of the press than the fans.” With What Elephant? Sucka Brown has our attention, and yours should be soon to follow.

Sucka Brown plays T.T. the Bear’s Friday April 27 along with Harris, The Jealousy Curve, and The Ultraviolet.
Tickets are $10 and are available at www.ttthebears.com.