steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Hoover's G-String

"Crack" CD

Red Tide Records

Genres: college rock, indie rock, indie pop

Hoover's G-String
c/o Red Tide Records
2517-D S. Walter Reed Dr.
Arlington, VA 22206

Aug 7 - Aug 11 2002

As a general rule, packages with little gizmos and toys inside them attract my attention first, and, as unfair as that may seem, that was what first attracted my attention to Hoover’s G-String’s package. Aside from a large, colour, glossy sticker wielding a drawing of an obese man in a G-string, there were not one, but two, matchbooks accompanying the cd. Now I’m not a smoker, in fact, I try my best to avoid smokers as best I can, but I do like to set fires. So thank you Hoover’s G-String, I now have 40 matches to burn things with.

Oh, that’s right - I’m supposed to be reviewing the music. Well, it's not that great. It's actually just normal, enjoyable college-rock. Right from the opener, "Blowing Thru A Stop Sign", you know exactly what you're in for. It makes for a great casual listen; the glaring pop hooks keep you entertained and succeed in being catchy, so it will come as no surprise when you catch yourself humming along to the tunes. While there are a few similarities to some boring mainstream acts, lots of this has a very fresh feel, with all sorts of indie nods amidst the noise. "Dave's So Cheap" and "The Jersey Turnpike", for example, toy around with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet's surf style, and "Driving Your Car" is like an amalgam of Terror Twilight-y Pavement, Built To Spill, and a bit of early Pedro The Lion. The songs are short, too - most of them falling under the three minute mark - and their conciseness keeps them feeling fresh and fun.

While this album has its weak bits (like the over-whiny "Chinese New Year" - which is coincidentally the album's longest track), there is lots to like about Crack, and half the fun lies in figuring out all the possible meanings of the album's title (although the band's logo may offer some insight into that). This is for fans of short, catchy college rock songs.

80%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 31 min 54 sec; 13 tracks; distributed by CD Baby; released 2001]