Pollen - Bluette (1994, Grass)

With more than a wink and a nod to renown pop-punks All, Pollen unleashed their debut, Bluette onto an unsuspecting, and a seemingly indifferent public in 1994.  The profile of this Pennsylvania five-piece (who later in their career migrated to Tempe, AZ) would improve in years to come, but not by leaps and bounds.  Bluette (evidently a play on the word "brunette") is a commendable start with some fairly stimulating flashes of brilliance: "Couch," "Scared Kid," and "Paper."  The momentum trails off as the album wears on, but not enough to blunt it's overarching effect.  Speaking of All, the Pollen crew would have the honor with working with the dream team of  Stephen Egerton and Bill Stevenson on their next two records, 1995's Crescent and the thoroughly excellent, Peach Tree from 1997, the latter of which I shared several years ago and is still available by accessing the above hyperlink.  I'd also recommend Pollen for fans of early Gameface and G-Whiz.  BTW, if anyone wants to hear the Pollen split CD with Co-Ed make yourself heard in the comments.

01. Gumdrop
02. Scared Kid
03. Crest
04. Pocket
05. Couch
06. Duster
07. Bait
08. Paper
09. Paint Some Size
10. Back to Nothing
11. Brass
12. Nope

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