steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Higgins

"Zs" CD

Serious Business Records

Genre: pop, power pop

New York City

Dec 22, 2008

The triumphant Big Star guitar chords of "There He Is" signal the beginning of Higgins' excellent Zs, perhaps the best record yet from the standout Serious Business label. The songwriting project of Kevin Fish, Higgins is a lovely pop band influenced by seventies-era power-pop and AM radio fare. Although a hefty six band members make up the core of the band, it is Fish's songwriting proficiency that has led to such an extensively well-executed melodic result.

"Yes I Know," with its sterling guitars and wonderfully chiming chorus, is one of the record's most memorable moments, while monster epic "Charly" (complete with its own prelude) is a acid-drenched psych-pop track soaked in dense guitars and rolling organs. On the slower end of things, wistful "Write It Down" and "Ok" recall Third/Sister Lovers era Big Star. Despite their existence in the twenty-first century, Higgins harbours an unusually consistent devotion to the music of yesteryear. Rarely does Fish integrate more recent influences into Zs' eleven songs. Although "Wall Of Dumb" reminds me distinctly of certain Magnetic Fields material, this disc as a whole has a remarkably consistent 'classic' vibe. The only other constant is the record's level of quality - Zs is an unquestionably satisfying release, and one of the year's best at that. You know what to do.

higgins' myspace

88%

youuuuuuuutube!: "jamy"

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by the label, released Sep 9, 2008]