Albums by this artist

New Mansions In Sound (1996)

Fastbacks

New Mansions In Sound

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Fastbacks New Mansions In Sound Sub Pop, 1996 RiYL: Superchunk's On The Mouth, The Muffs, Cub, The Breeders

It's about time the Fastbacks are given the cred they deserve, since they've undeniably influenced nearly every post-punk power-pop band to come down the pike in the past decade. Yet, the band still gets comments like "Hey, you guys are good! Do you have any albums out?" from ignorami at their concerts.

While the Seattle foursome's drum stool has been vacated and filled with a regularity that would make Spinal Tap do a double-take (Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan is a Fastbacks alumnus), guitarist Kurt Bloch and bassist/vocalist Kim Warnick have anchored the group since 1979. And on New Mansions In Sound, the band's seventh full-length, the Fastbacks offer plenty of the simple, hard-rocking and rip-roaring sounds that have paved the way for most of today's power-pop purveyors.

With 15 tracks in 45 minutes, the Fastbacks prove with authority that they are masters of the quick and effective tune (the 58-second "Know Or Care" is probably the best song on the album). The songs contain power chords out the yin-yang, try "I Know" for chords as beefy as a strip steak or "Is It Familiar" for some cheesed-out tones a la the best (and worst) of '70s guitar rock.

But within this three chords, chorus, and out framework, there's still room for creativity. "Weather: Perfectly Clear" sounds like a sad '50s ballad, while Warnick's vocal hooks in "555 Pt. 2" seem lifted from a Christmas carol. And the tangential melodic interlude in the 6-minute epic "Stay Home" is unexpected and vibrant.

Bloch's solos, sloppy as they often are, make for some fun listening. Opening track "Fortune's Misery" features a very Spinal Tap-esque solo, while on "Banner Year," all of the other instruments cut out while Bloch goes crazy for a while.

Always a fan of odd covers, Fastbacks unearth the Montrose tune "Space Station #5," dumping a pitcher of reverb and delay on Warnick's vocals while offering her a brief bass solo. Also included is "Girl's Eye," penned by Who drummer Keith Moon. Listen to the band members frolicking in British accents in the background. After the song breaks down at the end, Bloch shouts, "I'll give you $100 to erase that last take."

Anyone who thinks Green Day and Rancid are doing something innovative should have their pulse taken and some Fastbacks albums administered intravenously. New Mansions In Sound is punk-pop the way it should be: catchy and speedy.

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?"