The Westside Daredevils
All Things Small Produce a Spark
Lynn Point Records

by William Michael Smith

With Superdrag calling Knoxville home, it takes more than average-sized...uhhh...intestines to hang up your shingle as a power pop band. The Westside Daredevils have hung out their shingle and a line of customers is already forming. While Rolling Stone may not have gotten the word yet, the Daredevils have already received a slew of notices in the indie music press for the DIY All Things Small Produce a Spark.

There is nothing small about their sound. The harmonies are sweet while the songs and melodies are generally smart and catchy like good pop songs are supposed to be. The harmonies sound like the best late '60s stuff from bands like The Cyrcle, or maybe Simon and Garfunkel when they'd bounce along to the 59th Street Bridge. One gets the impression the Daredevils are more than casually familiar with "Feelin' Groovy" "Red Rubber Ball."

Repeated listening reveals that the Daredevils cover lots of stylistic ground. The playing is fresh, occasionally edgy, and never enters the dreaded "retro" zone, although it is easy to recognize stylistic echoes from any number of outfits, particularly Flaming Lips and Big Star. Although they did most of the recording themselves, the Daredevils show considerable Beach Boys influence in their recording and arranging technique. While they tip their hats to Queen, the ultimate power pop band, in the intro to "Andrea," some of the tracks, like "Darling Currency" and "London Forces" are lilting, lush, and smooth, and others like "Camera Religion" and "Careful Tom" have a lot in common with some '60s English bands as the Daredevils roll up their sleeves and exerts themselves in the Superdrag fashion.

The lyrics aren't printed on the liner notes, so the ears need to be fully de-waxed when listening to the tongue-tripping vocals of guitarists Brett Cassidy and Gray Comer or keyboardist Jeff Caudill. Their rowdy, jangly, fuzzy, playful, and lyrically complex "Strange You Haven't Fled" is cause for several what-did-they-just say shakes of the head and repeated wrestling for the meaning.

God save the Queen of Conspicuous Consumption
To his credit, he's well made
That's just what they'll all say
When they bury him alive and spit upon his grave
With blood upon their hands and smiles across their faces

l forgive you, son
Little boys break all the rules
While little girls keep waiting on them

The Daredevils are at their best when they let the horses run, whereas some of the quieter numbers are borderline tedious or artily pretentious. I'd rather hear them rock than do their soft, serious material, which tends to sound rather generic. Tracks like "Miner's Shortwave" and "Mind's Cold Sweat" sound meaningful but come across as a bit naïve and overly arty (of course, I thought that about Pink Floyd and they sold a few records). The Daredevils get interesting when they do the jangly bubblegum pop-rock of the sly ménage a trois saga of "London Forces" or the sympathetic and bright "Andrea." But their best, most potential laden mode is the bigger, more muscular, slightly sinister rock sound they create on "Careful Tom" or "Camera Religion," with its "Journey to the Center of Your Mind" barroom rock riff, its British influence vocals, and it's punchy lyric.

September girl
It's January
You sucked
Down all the attention
A while ago
So hostile
So unnecessary
Whatever
Ain't that something
If you say so
Oh, no
That girl's got
No soul

The Westside Daredevils have done their homework and it shows in what is an impressive DIY debut recording. Recently signed to former V-Roy Jeff Bills' Lynn Point label, their next disc should be worth looking up as they will undoubtedly learn from the several successes and a few misses on All Things Small Produce a Spark. They seem to be making quite an impression in Knoxville, which has long been a challenging proving ground for young bands.

http://www.lynnpoint.com/
http://www.westsidedaredevils.com/

© 2002 William Michael Smith




Contact William Michael Smith at: wms@rockzilla.net

   
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