|
Amid pounding E-Street keys and scuzzy guitar squall, brother Andy and Joey Siara intone anthem after townie anthem with the cadence of Stephen Malkmus and the brassy enthusiasm of The Hold Steady.There's a charming familiarity to much of the Henry Clay People's third proper full-length, a familiarity perhaps best epitomized in its second track when frontman Joey Siara proclaims, with fist-pumping intensity, "We were working part time! All! The! Time!" It's a relatable moment, not only because most listeners have suffered a temporary job or seven, but because, like the vast majority of Somewhere on the Golden Coast, the song in question ("Working Part Time") cherry-picks tiny elements from indie rock's vast library of literate golden gods. Siara sings about the scene, like the Hold Steady's Craig Finn, gets sloppy and sentimental like Pavement's Stephen Malkmus, and carries a high-pitched authority like Built to Spill's Doug Martsch. All the while, his cohorts keep things from getting too serious with rollicking piano, stadium-ready power chords, and raucous shout-along backing vocals. It's a glorious mix that fails rarely, and usually only when things cool off too much or Siara steps back from front and center, where he is clearly, charismatically meant to exist. Like many no-frills rock & roll bands, the Henry Clay People are most effective when they're pushing things into the red. Luckily, Somewhere on the Golden Coast only barely tops the half-hour mark, so there's hardly time for the band to do otherwise.
Condition:NEW. Marked upc
TRACK LISTINGS
1 Reach out I'll Be There 3:17
2 You Keep Me Hangin' On 3:10
3 Baby I Need Your Loving 3:12
4 I Heard It Through the Grapevine 3:21
5 Get Ready 3:09
6 The Way You Do the Things You Do 3:02
7 My Girl 3:07
8 Stop! In the Name of Love 3:10
9 ABC 3:04
10 You Are Everything 3:53
11 Ain't No Mountain High Enough 2:47
12 Uptight (Everything's Alright) 3:13
13 Twenty-Five Miles 3:23
14 Dancing in the Street 2:59
15 Ooh Baby Baby 2:46
16 River Deep Mountain High 3:38
|