Search - Mike Shupp :: October Sun

Strong, Melodic Debut Pop Record

11/21/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read once where the secret of pop music was honesty. There's nothing contrived or artificial here, just perfectly fashioned guitar-driven pop. After one listen, I was drawing comparisons with some of the better guitar-pop bands that dominate the limited landscape that is American commercial radio. This is just as good, maybe better, and it's given to you without posing, indulgent production, shoe-gazing, or morose, self-absorbed lyrics. The record starts with "Letter to Annette", one of those crystal-clear, under three-minute pop gems that would have been a great record in 1965 (say around the time the Who was seeing for miles). It's a great song today. Other high points on the disc include "Easier Now," and "Into It," a nice dissection of pop culture. I guess all pop records are about girls, cars, and or money...this one's subject is mostly the complexity of adult relationships. You'll get no David Lee Roth simplistic thinking here.A friend of mine said that in a better world, "Without You" would be a number one hit. Here's hoping it is."