SWITCHED
ON! - The Insomniacs (Estrus)
Back on the cusp of the 80's, The Insomniacs would have fit snugly right alongside
Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, The Records, Squeeze, The Romantics, and Paul Collins'
Beat, standing tall, singing into the light, and flying the power 
pop
banner high and proud. Of course that was an era when owning the first three
Cheap Trick albums, rare Raspberries singles, and old Todd Rundgren LP's was
a badge of honor rather than an albatross. God, how I hate living in the past...
Unfortunately, the music biz over the past quarter century hasn't been particularly
kind to the genre, either shoving it off into a dark corner or offering up
an endless parade of pale imitators, pretenders more concerned with a jet-set,
tax-exile, show-business lifestyle than actually writing a great song. For
all I know, this New Jersey trio may hold all of that dear as well, but they
sure as hell can string verses, choruses, and hooks together - like a spider
spinning a web - something they've been doing for various indie labels (but
mostly Estrus) since 1991.
Damn shame - OK, a crime! - you have to dig so deep to find music like this,
straightforward, driving anthems overflowing with jagged shards of flickering,
chiming guitar, punchy drums and, like all great pop with a pedigree, lyrics
primarily focusing on what's inside a girl.
Call me a "romantic" (or "idiot" - I've come to realize
they're interchangeable), but with "Switched On!," The Insomniacs
have captured lightning in a jar, summoning forth wave after wave of beautiful
noise. The janglefest which is "Alice White" is sharp and spunky,
reaching for the sky and making you want to dance until the cops close down
the rent party. The title track is awash in choppy, exuberant guitar chords
and tickles the frontal lobe with its genuine charm and gusto.
What's especially refreshing about this album is that David, Robert, and Michael
(no last names - just David, Robert, and Michael) aren't afraid to throw anything
at the wall to see what sticks. From the snaky sitar in "Leave"
to the sacadilic fuzz pedal abuse on "Maryanne Lightly," these guys
will try anything once and through either pure, dumb luck or an innate gift
for knowing what works and what doesn't (I'm inclined to lean toward the latter),
it all comes together like an drawn straight flush.
Although a few tracks ("It's Gone" and "Tomorrow") veer
a wee bit too close to Beatles territory for these Fab Four-hating ears, it's
nearly impossible to find fault with these three avatars of sunnyside-up,
handclap-beating, well-ordered sounds. Answers the question "Whatever
happened to fun?"
- Clark Paull
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