Todd A

If I had to pick a favorite label, it might very well be Kill Rock Stars and Comet Gain demonstrates exactly why. Here’s an English garage pop band – sounding very American – who smothers everything in jangle and reverb while catchy lyrics and vocal melodies cut through the tide of sound. They’re not punk at all. But they’re just the sort of unique quality rock ‘n’ roll that KRS puts out. Comet Gain often fool you into thinking that they’re amateurs accidently making rock songs. But a careful listen to a song like “Why I Try to Look so Bad” which whips into a guitar and keyboard-driven groove right from start shows you just how wrong you are. The production is noisy, with loads of treble, but it just ensures that you won’t hear it on the radio and can keep Realistes! all to yourself in your bedroom

I remember someone once making a joke about how many distortion pedals Karl Hendrix must have. My guess is The John Stamos Project is racing to claim that distinction for themselves. Damn is this guitar overblown. Mostly, this is puerile pop-punk that is saved from obscurity by the bands’ gigantic balls. For starters, everything is loud. Damn loud. The voice often reminds one of the Dead Milkmen, especially on “Date from Hell,” but maybe that’s the theme of the song that sounds reminiscent. When they want, they harmonize, but somehow avoid the cheesy Blink-182 manner of harmony — maybe it’s the phrases they choose to sing together: shunning the chorus and instead singing “Shut Up!” in harmony. Songs fly by in a blur. Excitable pop-punk for people from drearier climates than California.

The worst part of the Chinkees new long player is that it doesn’t get cranking til around the seventh track, “Merry Mary, Will You Marry Me?” Titular wordplay aside, the song is peppy and poppy and is the rocking and melodic kick up the ass that this often too-deliberate ska group needed. “Merry Mary” is followed by the equally catchy, “Last Night I Saw You on the Morning News,” a song that finds the best in the Chinkees 21st century ska. It’s really a shame that these two songs appear so late in the running order. Once you hear and enjoy them, going back through the rest of the record is more enjoyable. It’s just that it takes a while to get cranking. Oddly, The Chinkees (probably in a bid to be as politically timely as their heroes) cram too many words into their tunes. Singer Mike Park often has nice vocal melodies but just says too much. Still, the Chinkees stay away from angry punk ska and cheesy pop ska and it’s definitely a credit to them. Even so, one wishes sometimes for the playful humor of Park’s previous group, Skankin Pickle.

[This piece appeared in the Nashville Scene.]

“If only for today, I wish everyone would think I’m great…” Mike Gogola of the Obscure sings in “If Only,” a song that pre-dates the Obscure’s time in Nashville. His wish is about to come true–if it hasn’t already. The Obscure are great. In the next week, the Obscure will go out at the top of their game. They’ll hit the high note and say goodnight. On 26 August, Mike begins his new job in Houston, Texas, where his wife, Tracy, will begin her post-doctoral work in medical research.
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Writing them off as some college students with too many Stephin Merritt records, I initially resisted I Am The…’s pop electronica. Much like Merritt’s Future Bible Heroes, I Am The make that sort of bookish dance/pop music that doesn’t really sound retro but like an impression of retro. The bubbling synths are too polished. The drum machines are too clean and smooth. Halfway into the record, the strains of Blondie’s “Call Me” — run through a sequenced ringer and several dozen synthetic tones — came out of my stereo’s speakers. I put them away.
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