Album Review: hi, my name is bill but my friends call me wet dollar bill by Le Country Club

_{By Andy McFerren}

Le country club is one of the more diverse bands in Provo. I don’t know if I could ever definitively say what their sound is, and that’s what makes them fun. One thing is certain, however, and that is that Noah Lefgren, the mastermind behind Le Country Club, continues to push the bounds of his own creativity. He is, in a word, experimental. Le Country Club’s latest album hi, my name is bill but my friends call me wet dollar bill is no exception to this if you couldn’t tell from the title alone. 

When asked to comment on the album, Le Country Club sent a single sentence: “My life is a midwest emo intro.” And to that, I extend my deepest condolences – but I see his point. The influence of late ’90s midwest emo is evident. Mixed in these fondly eccentric songs is a sprinkling of bands like American Football, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Neutral Milk Hotel. 

Even though the midwest emo influences are clearly there, I wouldn’t classify this album as midwest emo, though it seems that the other influences were also borrowed from the ’90s – mostly ’90s alternative. In particular, I couldn’t help but think of “How Bizarre” by OMC during my favorite song on the album, “lou reed, baby (have you heard the news?).” What a song! To borrow from one of the wisest philosophers of our time, Harry Styles, my favorite thing about the song is, like, it feels like a song. 

Lefgren is a talented multi-instrumentalist who seems to pick an instrument as the driving force of a project and build around that. For hi, my name is bill but my friends call me wet dollar bill, it’s clear that guitar was that driving force on this album, the tone of which seems to again be pulled from the ’90s, at times dipping into a Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe and at others Sublime.

There’s a little bit for everyone on this 20-minute joyride. If you like this album, check out the rest of Le Country Club’s catalog on the streaming service of your choice, and make sure to follow Le Country Club on Instagram. You can listen to my favorite track off the album, “lou reed, baby (have you heard the news?)” below!