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Review: |
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First, some background: this two CD package
is the brain-child, primarily, of Scott McCaughey from the Young
Fresh Fellows. Recently touring with R.E.M., he joined with
Peter Buck in a side project, The Minus 5. The premise behind
this two-CD set is a musical competition between YFF and The
Minus 5.
However, I would argue that the two albums are not so much
competing as extending; both are variations on the same theme.
They highlight a similar 60's retro pop sound, resembling the
tranquility of the Beach Boys rather than the fierce power of
music in battle. This is "bob your head" pop rather than "bang
your head" or "start a revolution" rock.
In a competition, The Minus 5 would certainly win; their songs
have more variety and sophistication. Collaborations with Ken
Stringfellow (The Posies), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Robyn Hitchcock,
and several others lend variety among their songs. The cover
of The Possibilities' You Don't Mean It, played live
last month on Conan O'Brien, is definitely a stand-out song;
among the quaint pop romps, it has the most punch. The Rifleman
is also interesting with its TV-show premise. Otherwise, the
sound oscillates between beach harmony, The Beatles, and The
Traveling Wilburys (at times, McCaughey's voice bears a scary
resemblance to Tom Petty). The Minus 5 produce several catchy
tunes on this album; it's fun, but it's not earth shattering.
The Young Fresh Fellows' CD is rather uneven. Some songs like
Fuselage and For the Love of a Girl are well mixed
catchy ditties. But, mostly, this CD is a collection of the
same ol' bangle-garage pop. Often, the lyrics are beyond unsophisticated,
such as in My Drum Set is Better Than That. The band
did not bother to put this song's lyrics in the liner notes
because, well, those are the lyrics, for the most part. Overall,
there are a couple of keepers on this collection, but mostly
it's pretty unadventurous.
On the R.E.M. meter, I would locate the Minus 5 somewhere between
the band's cover of Love Is All Around Us and the pop
sounds of Out of Time, although it doesn't really
sound like anything R.E.M.'s done. I know that Peter Buck is
a fan of The Beach Boys, but I still can't figure out how he
gets from the bangly pop of California Girls to the progressive
guitar rock of Finest Worksong. None of the Minus 5 songs
have the complexity of an R.E.M. classic. McCaughey's lyrics
are closer to the silliness of "They Might Be Giants" than most
Stipe tunes. Gone are the sophisticated guitar riffs and other
string melodies that lend depth to R.E.M.'s best work. Peter
Buck's musical talent is certainly not challenged; he could
have phoned this one in. |
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