Rating: NNNN
Garage punk hero Jay Reatard has grown up, and, surprisingly, this has turned out to be a very good thing indeed. After cranking out a couple of critically acclaimed singles collections, Reatard has gone back to the album format, and in the process he’s wholeheartedly embraced his latent pop side.
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Sure, most of the songs are still under three minutes and sound like a record being played at faster speed, but now there are acoustic guitars, densely layered harmonies and even cello (gasp!). If this were your typical pop punk, we’d be concerned, but Reatard’s strong suit has always been those perfect little pop songs buried under a wall of fuzz. Now we can actually hear those finely crafted melodies, and while he’s mellowed out sonically, he’s still sneering out every lyric like a petulant teen rebel.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if the Buzzcocks jammed with the Byrds, this may answer your question.
Top track: It Ain’t Gonna Save Me
Jay Reatard rocks the Reverb September 29.
