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Sept. 8 - 15, 2000

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*** 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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