The Automatik

Watch this at: http://www.vikrecordings.com/sloan/actionpact/multimedia.html

Relief flooded over me when I realized that this song was the first single from Sloan’s new album, since I was certain it would be the album opener, “Gimme That.” Not that “Gimme That” doesn’t provide a thorough sonic ass-kicking; it’s just that we went down that route with Pretty Together‘s “If It Feels Good, Do It” and I was hoping for something different this time around. (Someone should serve me with a “Comparing Everything to Pretty Together” gag order, I swear to God.)
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Outside Records, 2003

Reddish hair and pale, luminous skin
She stuck it in with an Ultravox pin
They say the Germans make the best ones
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“We were trying to not be as precious about our previous conception of what Sloan was all about. It used to be about four guys equally represented, but this time, it wasn’t so much about expressing yourself as trying to put together a fun rock record.”
- Singer/guitarist Patrick Pentland on Sloan’s latest album

Let’s get the Pretty Together conversation out of the way first.

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Endearing Records, Ductape Records

Since many of today’s cool kids seem to have spent more time reading The Hipster Handbook than learning enough about music to do something other than name-drop, it’s delightful to hear the endearing tunes of The Meligrove Band. The musicianship on this album is obvious; they’ve skyrocketed past the cute silliness of their earlier material without losing any of their charm.

It’s their earnest urgency that impresses me, though. They love music and they prove it through an uplifting sincerity not normally found in pop music, at least not the kind we’re subjected to in the States (this trio of talent hails from Mississauga, Ontario). Produced by Stephen Pitkin, the fantastic drummer of the also-fantastic (and Canadian) pop combo The Flashing Lights, Let it Grow is an apt title for an album that is both instantly infectious and consistently entertaining.

The Beach Boys damage is apparent, but hey, who hasn’t been influenced by Pet Sounds? The Meligrove Band grasp Brian Wilson’s forward-thinking style and pristine production values better than many who feign admiration. These songs burst forth with equal parts whimsy and heart, even when tinkly xylophones and whistles come to the fore (Do I detect tambourines? Be still my heart!). I haven’t heard a pop album be more rock and roll, yet still touching and significant, in nearly a decade. I’m continually moved by the gorgeous harmonies in “Before We Arrive” as well as the sweet and tender sentiments of “Really, Really, Really.”

Of course there’s plenty of full-on rocking to be found throughout the album, like the kick-ass opener “Monkey Mask” (which loses none of its potency for lack of lyrics) and “Take Me to the Sun.” If this album is any indication, things are definitely looking up for The Meligrove Band. In fact, I see a big fat star in the sky right now and I’m certain it’s got their name on it.

Elektra, 2003

Rhett Miller’s transformation from bespectacled indie geek to shag-haired hottie during his tenure in Texas’ Old 97s has been a source of much amusement to me, like some high school outsider blooming after graduation and bringing his dazzling smile of success to the reunion, thereby putting all the jocks and cheerleaders to shame. I wouldn’t even find it necessary to mention was I not somewhat disappointed in this, his first solo effort.
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Fresh from major-label coronation, Urge Overkill hit the early ’90s, their belts notched with a fair amount of indie cred.

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Throughout the mid-’80s, punk’s corpse transmogrified into hardcore’s zombie nightmare as thousands watched in horror.

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A Foetus by any other name would still snarl as sweetly.

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It’s oh so fine getting out of your mind as long as you can find your way back in.

Pulp was one of my favorite bands for four entire years; I scarcely listened to anything else from 1996 to 1999. Then they took several years to work on the follow up to This is Hardcore and I got tired of waiting; they basically disappeared from my radar. Yet as the release date of We Love Life approached, I grew rabidly anxious. This Is Hardcore, while featuring such excellent tunes as “Help The Aged,” “Party Hard” and the title track, was rather an anomaly in the Pulp catalogue, even more than the stratospherically popular Different Class, so I was hoping for a return to old skool Pulp (like my favorite album of theirs, His ?n’ Hers).
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Vinyl Countdown, 2004

Every true rock writer dreams of discovering some diamond in the rough, some bright, shining star amidst the endless mounds of crap that swell the walls of their post office boxes. When you find it, it’s damn near impossible to explain how you can see so much potential in the missed beats or slightly hesitant vocals, except to say that it just makes you feel good. And so it is with The Foxx, a cleverly titled four piece from New Mexico, three guys and a girl who remind us that rock ‘n’ roll was the bastard son of blues after all.
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