There's a great tradition in
rock & roll
of small-town teenagers who get together in the proverbial garage and put together a band that takes on the world. It dates back at least to the 1960s and was given cinematic treatment in
Tom Hanks
' 1996 film
That Thing You Do!
The Lonely H
, a
pop/rock
quintet from Port Angeles, WA, may remind listeners somewhat of
the Wonders
, the fictional band from that movie, if only because their musical sensibility is not far removed from the mid-'60s sound that group made, a sound also immortalized on the first
Nuggets
compilation. But if
garage rock
is one touchstone for
the Lonely H
, it also seems clear that lead singer and keyboard player
Mark Fredson
has been listening not only to
the Beatles
and
the Beach Boys
, from whom he and his bandmates have taken notions of song structure, melody, and harmony, but also from
Queen
, particularly in the piano-based
ballads
"Sweet Madeline"
"Simple Love."
Fredson
has facetiously referred to
"Zelda"
as an "epic ballad," and he is forthright about the swooning effect that a song like
"Simple Love"
has on the group's female fans. But kidding and pandering aside, he clearly has a strong talent for melody that the group matches with its arranging skill, which is what makes those songs work for audiences as good power
always do. That is not to say, however, that the group can't rock out, and it does so elsewhere on the disc. But
makes
rock
music imbued with
pop
sophistication; they change keys and tempos, and then they throw in an
a cappella
harmony part to go along with those loud guitars.
, meanwhile, has one of those foggy, nasal tenors that have been cutting through charging
bands for decades. But while
would seem destined for stardom, their very abilities may limit their appeal. All that straight, unkempt blond hair falling across their beardless faces can be less reminiscent of
Kurt Cobain
than of
Hanson
, and another great tradition in
is the coolness factor, which
Cobain
, for all his troubles, possessed, while
, for all their talent, did not. Like their idols of the '60s and '70s, the members of
will have to balance the
with the
if they are to succeed. If
Kick Upstairs
is any indication, they may do just that. ~ William Ruhlmann