ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Artist: LOCAL H
Album: Whatever Happened To P.J. Soles?
The Scoop: The indie press are vampires when it comes to bands with mainstream hits and major labels in their past. They smell blood fast and forever. Yet, with only a few inevitable exceptions, Local H has managed to retain its cred with the zines and club kids. They've earned it. Years before people were asking "How do only two people make so much noise?" at White Stripes shows, they were asking the question at Local H shows. Now a band that was sometimes (lamely) dismissed in their early days as a Nirvana knock-off has become the strongest surviving link to the vitality of that era, before it was imitated and diluted to its eventual near-death. Frontman Scott Lucas has retained a fondness for funny, antiquated little things called riffs and hooks - there are few bands that deliver those goods so consistently or irresistibly. Brian St. Clair, meanwhile, pounds on his kit like his life depends on it. P.J. Soles finds the duo branching even further from the alt- or grunge-world. At ten minutes and placed mid-album, "Buffalo Trance" sounds like a surefire momentum derailment; instead, it's a gripping odyssey, a showcase for Lucas's appreciation of Zeppelin and also a kindred spirit to modern keepers of the flame like My Morning Jacket. The verses of the superb title track-in which Lucas likens an faded lover to a forgotten B-movie queen-are tellingly much more like Jeff Tweedy than Kurt Cobain.Highlight Track: "California Songs" and "P.J. Soles"
For More Info: Learn more and listen to select tracks at http://www.localh.com
Artist: CAMERA OBSCURA
Album: Underachievers Please Try Harder
The Scoop: As a music dork who has not just every Belle & Sebastian album but all the singles, it seems to me that a fair number of critics (Rolling Stone, The Onion, Dusted, etc.) have far overstated the resemblance between Camera Obscura and their more famous Glasgow comrades. The two bands certainly occupy the same surface genre, share surface similarities (co-ed vocals, passion for the twee-ish pop of yesteryear) and would fit comfortably on a bill or mix tape together, but this isn't a case of the students copying the template of the teachers. Yes, Stuart Murdoch helped the band get their start (serving as producer), and B & S is an obvious reference point and source of inspiration. But there are others nearly as accurate, including Saturday Looks Good To Me, The Beach Boys and an assortment of bands on the Shelflife and Matinee rosters. In fact, the only overt carbon copy on the album is John Henderson's "Your Picture," which is pure Leonard Cohen right down to the lyrics ("You tried to get into the bible / But it never got into you"). Melodious and memorable throughout, whether the dial is set on summer jaunt or midnight rumination, Underachievers deserves your attention.
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The copyright of the article Choice Cuts: April 2004 in Indie Music is owned by . Permission to republish Choice Cuts: April 2004 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
