Pell Mell
Star City
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Pell Mell
Star City
Matador, 1998
RiYL: Aerial M, The Sea & Cake, Dianogah, Paul Newman |
Imitation is not a part of the equation for the four-piece musical collective Pell Mell, its members scattered across the United States. Indeed, the group is the antecedent for nearly any of today's burgeoning instrumental outfits, proven so via three ahead-of-its-time albums on SST and Geffen.
The group's 1992 release, Flow, shines as a beacon for all-things instrumental, welding genres as disparate as surf, dub and classic rock to forge skittish melodies and bold, barreling rhythms. At times almost cinematic in scope, Pell Mell's instrumentals actually sound like real songs.
Geffen's 1995 acquisition of the band was viewed as one of the most curious major label signings in recent memory. Even though Star City was scheduled to be released on the label, Geffen management dropped Pell Mell scarcely weeks prior to its release. Matador Records quickly jumped on the opportunity, obtained the record and released it as planned.
Geographical barriers have necessitated that Pell Mell write its songs by mail, members come up with parts and send them around to each other. But, this obstacle has certainly not hindered Star City, which, while not as immediately rewarding as past efforts, is both cohesive and satisfying.
The aptly-titled "Sky Lobby" kicks off the record, tingling with space-age vibes and keyboards. "Salvo" offers each instrument its own distinct roadmap, as if to dare the song to congeal (it does). "Smokehouse" struts its stuff on Greg Freeman's head-nodding bass foundation while Dave Spalding's guitar lines wax atmospheric. "Upstairs" is a melancholy, ambient guitar confessional, while "Headset" motors with grinning melodies and booming basslines.
Less of a rocking affair than 1995's Interstate, Star City presents music that embodies the great American road trip, punctuating the space between excitement and exhaustion with a crisp, engaging soundtrack.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"