Upon
listening to the new LP by Seattle’s Big Eyes, I could’ve sworn I had travelled
back in time to 1993.
I
understand the connotations of that declaration can be misconstrued, so I’ll
clarify. I do not refer to the espresso-fueled smack-Rock that dominated the
mainstream Rock world that year. The long-haired hit-makers, adorned in gilded
flannel, gained mammoth popularity
mixing the bone-headed arena Rock of
Zeppelin, the dirge-y drone of early Sabbath and the occasional spark of punk
attitude.
Big
Eyes smell like 1993, to me, more for their kinship to that period’s less
profitable outfits. Big Eyes’ music feels musically indebted to gorgeous
College Rock bands like Superchunk, Posies, The Muffs, and fellow Washingtonian
underdogs The Fastbacks.
A
power-trio, Big Eyes’ version of adrenalized Power-Pop is a delight. While none
of the songs here are reinventing the three-minute Rock song, their energy is a
breath of fresh air. It should be noted that Big Eyes are a Rock band with punk
energy, not the reverse. So punk fans looking for an album of mohawked
vignettes that spit venomous, anti-establishment shrapnel at 200 BPM should
look elsewhere.
Still,
Big Eyes are a hoot, even for hard-line punk fans. For an era where the term
“emotional” used in the same breath as “punk” often conjures memories of
absolutely awful bands (bands I am too polite to mention), Big Eyes find a
harmonious balance that doesn't veer into the maudlin (see: Jawbreaker).
‘Almost
Famous’ is a sharply recorded album. Crisp fidelity makes the most of Kate
Eldridge’s big, meaty guitars, Chris Costalupes’s tasty bass lines, and Dillan
Lazzareschi’s sweat-drenched drumming. The songs are anything but static.
Granted there are standard, three-or-four chord pop-punk numbers, yes. Those
songs don’t disappoint, though, as they are delivered with the sugary toughness
of early Nick Lowe recordings. Arpeggiated sweetness gives way to muscle car
riffing, palm-muted Descendents-inspired attacks dissolve into an almost
Mod-inspired strumming.
I’m
not sure if this indie band ever will be “famous”. I’m not sure that’s
possible. Moreover I’m not sure that’s the point at all. This record may not
change your life, but it may just change your mind about the health and
well-being of old-fashioned Rock ‘N Roll bands that deliver the goods in
180-second bursts. And in the almost dystopian musical landscape of this
current century, ‘Almost Famous’ just might make a few kids smile. That’s worth
ten US dollars.
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