On its sixth full-length, due for a Sept. 29 release, this
Chicago-based combo continues to juggle eccentric art rock, grimy blues
and pop songcraft in unusually affecting ways.
The duo of singer-bassist Billy O’Neill and organist-singer Ig (aka
Iguana)—assisted by utility players—have created a
disarmingly emotional statement of 10 songs that explore the struggle
and strife of day-to-day living. Although the first few songs focus on
pain and heartache, the work concludes with hope that love will
prevail. “It’s gonna be a little tender for a while, but we’ll get over
that,” sings O’Neill in the closing track, “Strangers on a Train.”
Most of the tunes wrap almost-pedestrian lyrics in elegant melodies,
granting the work a sly, plainspoken artfulness. Although the group’s
past work has been compared to acts as diverse as The Cars and Frank
Zappa, this album adheres to classic Beatles-like pop, with occasional
doses of distortion and dissonance.
The gorgeously mopey “I Don’t Think It’s So Funny (How Time Slips
Away)” sports a baroque space-rock sensibility, while “Baby, Dream”
alternates between wistful longing on the verses and galloping energy
on the choruses.
A cover of The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” is an ideal match
for the band’s quirky sensibilities—heavily leavened with a
background of electronic noise, it retains an adorable new-wave
bounce.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2009.