 The
Spectacular Fantastic
Self-titled CD
Ionik
Records
Genres: indie pop, country, indie rock
Aug 27 - Sep 2 2002 |
Surely
you must be aware of Ionik Records, the Cincinnati indie label that
recently brought us some fine offerings from Structure Factor 8
and 2.2 Kid Life. Along with Datawaslost, Ionik exposes the
world to some of the finest songwriters and musicians on the scene
today, and it's a shame that they don't get the recognition they truly
deserve. The Spectacular Fantastic is the label's newest
outfit, and it seems they've made another great catch. Mike Detmer,
the party responsible for the band, is also one of the three members
of Folk?, and with this album, he proves that he can stand up
perfectly well in a solo setting.
Pop is the main ingredient here, with lots of country and folk
influences tossed around, as well. Detmer has a strong talent
for producing strong, instantly catchy tunes that show off a variety
of influences and styles. We get mid-90s indie rock on "I
Believed In Me" and "Every Moment", folky country
sounds on "Everybody Needs Someone" and "How Many
Ways?", and even some others like garage rock ("Future
Beat"), experimental electronics ("Paranoia"), and
60's-tinged pop ("Summer Sunshine"). Likewise, similarities
to other bands are aplenty, including throwbacks to everyone from Gram
Parsons to Sebadoh. Not to mention that a lot of the more
country-ish songs on this album sound like those of Radiogram's recent
"All The Way Home" album.
And while the genres are scattered somewhat erratically throughout
the album, it remains a solid release simply because of the strength
of the songs. Listen to the gentle folk number, "Everybody Needs
Someone", and you'll know what I mean. Talent this amazing
doesn't come around that often. If you're at all into good local indie
pop, pick this record up!
88%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
11 tracks; distributed by the
label;
released 2002] |
