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Mic Harris, onetime member of the alt-country V-Roys,
has proven with his new band that he has a rock jones
that his former, twangier group simply wasn't
satisfying. By way of compensation, he has cranked out
twelve big ol' slabs o' rock built on searing lead
lines, fuzzy rhythms and smart, cracking drums. In other
words, he has traded in one set of cliches for another.
Fortunately, rock and roll songwriting cliches are still
good for a rollicking good time when used correctly (Ask
your doctor if Rock and Roll might be right for
you).
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the
Platonic ideal for this album was Big Star's #1
Record/Radio City. Rating that dual album a "10",
then, I would assign this one a "7.4" (if
Splendid were in the rather self-defeating habit
of assigning numerical ratings to albums). That's a
none-too-shabby showing, especially when you consider
exactly how many pretenders to Alex Chilton's throne
crank up their Marshalls every year.
While Harris has yet to become a rock-and-roll
songwriting savant like Westerberg or Chilton, he
certainly has a handle on what makes a tasty track.
Check out the chunky riff for "Big Show", or the
distorted power-chord work underpinning it. "Lazy Eyes"
is pure, shimmery, ballady "September Gurls" pop. There
are definitely fewer of the latter than the former here,
but if your idea of bliss is one satisfying rocker after
another, consider yourself headed for hog heaven. By the
middle of the album, you'll be head-nodding to
"Watertown", raising a beer to the country-inflected
"Whispering Goodbye", and soaring on the anthemic "Ready
To Go". "The Queen Has Spoken" alone is worth the price
of admission. While not one of these songs can be
considered an instant classic, the album as a whole
presents a truly impressive array of solidly written,
well-executed work.
As I am perpetually of the opinion that the world
needs as many good, satisfying rock albums as it can
get, I can only greet The Faults with open arms.
From presentation to execution, you couldn't ask for
anything more. -- Brett
McCallon
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