Friday, February 28, 2014

The Wolves (1988, Top)

The blurb on the sales insert accompanying this record states as follows: Power-pop that remembers 1977, even though it knows it's 1989.  As lazy as it may sound, I tend to agree.  In fact, the D.C. based Wolves offered a slightly more modified take on what the Plimsouls were attempting a few years prior.  Sadly, I have a hunch these fellas had a bitch of a time fitting in with their hometown brethren, as the Fugazi kids certainly weren't going to tolerate harmonies, or for that matter, even some occasional hand claps.  If anything, the Wolves' vaguely glammed-up appearance put them in better company with their west coast contemporaries (but I wouldn't let that frighten you off).  A small local label like Top hardly suited their ambitions, methinks.  Speaking to the music itself, The Wolves is an above average disc, thoughtfully weaving sweet jangly strands into "All Day" and "The Follow Up."  "Good News" is power pop manna, while the off-the-rails momentum of "Atta Boy, Otto!" serves as this album's punk rock outlier.


01. All Day
02. Out of It
03. Remember Me
04. The Follow Up
05. Days of Our Lives
06. Good News
07. Atta Boy, Otto!
08. Mine, All Mine (When I Get Rich)
09. You Won't See It

Hear

8 comments:

brink. said...

oops - i've got too many windows open and posted comments to the wrong blog. i haven't listened to the wolves yet, but i'm anxious to. thanks.

spavid said...

No problem. These things happen.

gabbazoo said...

Hi, this is pretty cool record. I believe some of the members of the wolves later formed Mother May I and put out a couple of somewhat more commercial but still quite solid albums.

Scaggsaway said...

So it came out in 1988 but the sleeve references 1989? Did they just know it was going to take months for anyone to find out about them and built in the delay?

spavid said...

Yeah, I was confused about the date too. I think I had read something about the Mother May I connection, but forgot to mention it. Sorry.

Jim H. said...

not bad at all, many thanks!!!

HawgWyld said...

Oh, man. Loved this album when I was back in college. Been listening to this and "Ghostride" by Couch Flambeau" tonight. Both bands shoulda been bigger.

CC said...
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