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| The 88
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| Power-pop quintet has all the keys to catchy tune. |
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The 88
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While LA-based quintet The 88 prefer tight business suits and even
tighter musical arrangements, everything else -- from their
Motown-style backups to their whimsical tambourines -- reveals a band
wholly at ease
with playful power pop. These guys could teach a boatful of champion
anglers a few things about hooks, as blithe and bouncy tracks like 'How
Good It Can Be' and 'Sunday Afternoon' yank audiences headlong into
their first album, 'Kind of Light.' Although several tunes explore
songwriting's well-trampled roads of addiction and recovery, lead
singer Keith Slettedahl
(who knows a thing or two about both) has enough vocal buoyancy to pin
the habit right back on his fans, many of whom have already swapped
their bottles of Dewar's for copies of the band's debut release.
Situated somewhere between
Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and The Band's Robbie Robertson, Slettedahl seems
most at home in that whispery way-station between octaves, especially
when forcefully backed by guitarist Brandon Jay and keyboardist Adam
Merrin, who palm mute, power chord and pipe organ their contributions
to The 88's infectious, instantly hummable riffs. Rounding out the
troupe's flush sound are bassist Carlos Torres and drummer Mark
Vasapolli, who anchor the compositions with synchronized breaks and
changes. Here's a band of musicians who care enough about their
songcraft to actually listen to one another play. More refreshingly,
they do it all without the dentist chair scowls en vogue with bands
who've forgotten that rock and roll is supposed to be fun. -- Jeremy
Horelick (Photo: Pictured: The 88)
Music: Pop, Rock
Official Web Site
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