*** Ultimate Fakebook
THIS WILL BE LAUGHING WEEK
(550 Music/Epic)
This
sophomore indie album from the catchy, energetic Manhattan (Kansas) trio was
first released in '99; now it gets a much-deserved shot at a wider audience.
Strong on melody, harmony, hooks, and wide-eyed innocence, the group fashion
their rocking pop out of tales of teenage vulnerability ("She Don't Even Know
My Name," "Of Course We Will," and the powerful "Soaked in Cinnamon"), geeky
obsession ("Far, Far Away" cites Star Wars creator George Lucas),
first-band memories (vocalist/guitarist Bill McShane's falsetto-charged
"Brokÿn Nëedle"), and one particularly compelling ode to doing it the
old-fashioned way -- "Real Drums." As urgent as it is unpretentious, this
14-song collection can count Cheap Trick and the Replacements among its primary
influences. But Laughing Week has more in common with the kind of
post-grunge noise pop (or bubblegrunge) popularized in the mid '90s by bands
like Flop (whose And the Revenge of the Mopsqueezer is one of the
genre's forgotten classics), Weezer, and Nada Surf. Two of those three bands
(Flop and Nada Surf) got just one shot at making it in the majors before being
dropped. Here's hoping Ultimate Fakebook are more fortunate: Laughing Week
proves they've got the songs and the spirit to succeed.
-- Mark Woodlief
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