Squeeze this Elefant

Elefant – The band’s name should be the Simple Psychedelic Cure-smiths. These guys are just a little too obvious about their influences. Shades of Johnny Marr’s guitar work all over “Lolita”, and the vocalist does his best Richard Butler impersonation through the entire disc. That stated, it’s a good listen. The songs are well crafted, instrumentation is fine, if not a little too synth-relient, and the guitar work is solid. “Uh Oh Hello” would have been a smash 20 years ago. There’s nothing new or inventive here, but it’s a catchy little slice of retro. 3 stars

Pavement – Always wanted to hear these guys to see if they live up to the hype. After a few listens, I’d say they’re one of those bands who is better on paper than in real life. This disc strikes me as the bridge that connects the Velvet Underground to today’s Lo-Fi bands like The Shins, Bloc Party, etc. Shambling vocals, bursts of noisy guitar, pop hooks, quirky lyrics, low fidelity recordings, hell, it’s a blue-print for everything that passes as alternative today . I give ‘em props for blazing the trail, but strictly on an aesthetic level, the disc itself didn’t do much for me. 2.5 stars

Squeeze – What a treat to re-discover this one, which is unfortunately no longer even in print. I remember at the time, writers Difford and Tilbrook were saddled with the “new Lennon & McCartney” label. Seems foolish now, but at the time the comparison seemed relevant. Great pop songs, two distinctive voices, and those clever lyrics (“singles remind me of kisses, albums remind me of plans” –brilliant!). “Pulling Mussels” and “Another Nail” are two of the ‘80’s greatest singles, but there are other gems here as well, notably “Separate Beds” and “Farfisa Beat”. A sadly neglected classic. 4.5 stars.