The
Lolls
"Come On" CD
Extra
Small Records
Genres: indie rock, punk-pop
Extra Small
245 Hyde St.
San Francisco CA
94102
Feb 23 - 29 2004 |
The last release of The Lolls' I had heard was a 7" single
featuring a couple of short, carefree punk-pop/indie rock numbers. Come
On is their new debut album, and in true Lolls tradition it
provides a selection of guitar-charged, simple indie rock tunes that
are sure to please fans of catchy, sometimes lo-fi rock music.
As expected, Come On sees the duo (Gail Conway and Jordan
Rode) keeping their songs enjoyably brief. None of these ten songs
exceed the four minute mark. "Exit" is a fine example - at
one minute, thirty-nine seconds long, it is Come On's briefest
song - but its best aspect is its riot-grrl attitude and edgy, almost
grungy melody. Comparisons to Slint and The Pixies
can certainly be drawn. Other songs survive on well-placed chord
changes and memorable choruses - it's almost amazing how easily The
Lolls put together their incredibly infectious pop tunes - every
subtle nuance of every song is assembled thoughtfully to make the end
product as carelessly precise (is that an oxymoron?) as possible.
"Girlfriend" and "When I Think of You," both of
which appeared on the band's previous seven-incher, are two of the
highlights on this disc; the former is an endlessly catchy indie rock
tune, while the latter is an unusually-structured pop romp.
"Wrecked" is also quite enjoyable, and somewhat complex
given this disc's general formula.
The Lolls' Come On is an essential artifact of the
thriving underground indie rock scene. Though many songs like these
usually end up as live fare only, it's always a pleasure when somebody
decides to sit down and record a few. In the future, CDs will be like
vinyl is now, and tunes like these will make their own Nuggets-style
compilation.
85%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
