Luna
Pup Tent
»
Luna
Pup Tent
Elektra, 1997
RiYL: Velvet Underground, Galaxie 500, Yo La Tengo, Built To Spill, R.E.M. |
This includes incorporating a variety of new instruments and some surprising influences, such as the early '90s British pop of bands like the Charlatans (see the gorgeous "Beautiful View"). "City Kitty" works through complicated harmonies with the aid of accordion and cello, while the half-ska, half-country "Ihop" is a pretext for an obtuse guitar jam. The title track and "Whispers" graft melodies on thin, underdeveloped accompaniment, matching Wareham's blueprint for these kind of atmospheric songs.
But perhaps this time it's a little too intellectual, and Luna's sound seems to regress back to the days of Galaxie 500. In a few cases, Wareham lets loose with maximum humility, and things make more sense. "The Creeps," particularly, wouldn't sound out of place on a Chris Isaak album. But "Fuzzy Wuzzy" sports a highly strange ending. It oscillates from country to an Oriental mantra, with a symphonic arrangement superimposed to an anemic, methodical guitar boogie. Justin Harwood's piano accompaniment keeps it simple, offering some semblance of relief.
Although Pup Tent isn't a bad album, it would seem that Luna may have reached a point of saturation. Wareham's ideas need new vehicles of expression. While nobody quite makes pop music sound so original, Wareham has never truly decided what kind of rocker he wants to be: experimental or classic. The time has come to make up his mind.
PIERO SCARUFFI | Piero Scaruffi runs the exhaustive music database Scaruffi.com. A native of Italy, he has also been praised for his work on the General Theory of Relativity, formal theories of the mind, and artificial intelligence. And no, we aren't making that up.