GOOD
ON THE RIVER - The Stand GT (Slag-o-matic Records)Canada's Stand GT haven't exactly been running themselves ragged in the years since their last album, 1996's Apocalypse Cow, on Lance Rock Records, with only one 45 - Turn On The Cartoons/Bring On The Joe Jacksons - seeing the light of day in that time. Thankfully, on the evidence of this album, they've been putting the time to good use. "All your time has been wasted/on shitty music and cheap talk" ('Ditched') - obviously not the case here.
Now, I've
heard the words 'power pop' being bandied around to describe this release, and
lest that description put some of you off, rest assured there's nary a skinny
tie or Beatle suit anywhere to be seen. What you will hear, however, is classic
crunching rock & roll, with some poppy embellishments. Don't be expecting too much polish, either - these guys have an endearing rough edge that reminds me of their compatriots, Bum, or New Jersey's
long-gone Adrenalin O.D., and even early Replacements. There's a rawness in these performances that speaks of the joy of picking up a battered old guitar and beating it to within an inch of it's life.
Granted, songs like 'Hello, Danger Bay' and 'Drivel' ("I wrote a pop song, it was wrong/made me feel like second-best") could be some bastard offspring of Husker Du and Fountains Of Wayne, and the opening melody of 'When All The Bugs Are Contained' always makes me think of Jellyfish. 'Ditched' in particular displays vocal harmonies that would do Brian Wilson proud (and, incidentally, is reprised at the end of the album in Beach Boys 'stack-o-vocals' style, complete with animal noises - is this their shot at 'Pet Sounds'?).
But for all these pop references, the likes of the opener 'On Vacuuming', 'The Cosmic Kilowatt' (with its drum intro nicked from Kiss' 'Strutter'!) and 'Minus The Fun' are good old-fashioned out and out rockers. And I wouldn't be too surprised if my buddy Jack T-man (of Lance Rock) had introduced them to The Eastern Dark somewhere along the way - I can hear a similar approach in songs like 'Blank The All-Stars', 'The Dollar Off Coupon' and 'She's My Familiar'. The closing track, 'Encore, The Killer' kicks off in the same rockin' vein, then halfway through, shifts down a gear to drop in traces of Neil Young (as per the pun in the title).They're not afraid to have fun with it, either - there's a twisted Alanis quote in the intro to the title track, and as if it's title wasn't silly enough, 'Shit, Jerry, I've Forgotten The Antidote' boasts a rollicking barrel-house piano that somehow sits perfectly with the rockin' guitars.
