Thursday, July 19, 2018

The Critics - Braintree (1995, Black Vinyl)

What little there is to glean on The Critics makes the case that this suburban Illinois quartet fancied the Beatles.  Even the most casual listen to their Braintree album solidly proves this point, especially on the first half, but this adept power pop combo were ultimately more attuned to their own era.  Not quite as heavy or beefy as say, what the Posies were concocting at the time, the Critics took their cues from nearby mates Material Issue, and for that matter slotted in quite appropriately onto the first volume of the Yellow Pills compilation series.  Released by the band Shoes on their in-house label Black Vinyl Records, Braintree's most remarkable moment arrives in the guise of "Got No Heart," a relatively raw nugget that extends a wink and a nod to their chosen genre's halcyon era of the late '70s.

01. Love Discreet
02. Change Your Mind
03. I Heard You Calling
04. L-O-V-E
05. You Can't Lie
06. Got No Heart
07. Surprise Surprise
08. I Feel Sorry For You
09. Meltdown
10. We're All Lonely
11. Lucky Thing

Hear

7 comments:

Shriner said...

This was really good. I am impressed how good the songs and production are.

Tidesworthy said...

Very cool stuff. Never heard this one... Love Chicago Power-Pop like Phil Angotti and the Idea.

spavid said...

Actually Phil performs on this one. A damn fine album.

Tidesworthy said...

Hadn't realized Phil was on here. It is a great album - I searched Discogs and am picking up the Critics few extra songs on some other Chicago Collections. You ever come across The Idea's G. Elvis EP? Seems like the hardest one to find in their discography.

spavid said...

No, I don't have that one. Sorry Tidesworthy.

Bubblun said...

I rescued the CD from a dollar bin a few years ago due to it being on Black Vinyl Records and being a big Shoes fan. It really won me over and I've recommended it to others. Also worth mentioning is leader Kevin Mantegnas 1989 album Communicate. He currently does duty as John Lennon in successful Beatles cover band Liverpool Legends so I doubt we'll ever see another Critics album.

Phil said...

Please re-up this if possible. Thanks so much for shining a light on so much great but obscure music!