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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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The Beatifics: Saving a place for pure melody
Wednesday 29 January @ 11:00:20 |
 by Rob van Alstyne
The Twin Cities are blessed with a remarkably diverse local music scene, with great bands that range in style from straightforward and endearing (the Jayhawks) to cheeky and ironic (Har Mar Superstar.) Many local bands place an emphasis on creative and unconventional approaches to songwriting. But while striving for something different is all well and good, sometimes it can be a breath of fresh air to hear straightforward, I-want-to-crank-this-up-in-my-%@!#$&ty-car rock ’n’ roll. Those in need of this sort of musical fix would be hard pressed to find better local talent than the Beatifics.
Led by former Rockefellers front man Christopher Dorn, the Beatifics recently returned to the spotlight with the release of The Way We Never Were on prestigious California independent label Bus Stop Records. Only the group’s second full length, The Way We Never Were presents an unflinchingly solid set of songs. Big on hooks and witty lyrics (nearly every song is either a toe-tapper to remember or a moving ballad) but short on running time (a bittersweet 33 minutes), the long awaited follow-up to their 1996 debut How I Learned to Stop Worrying wears its power-pop heart on its sleeve.
By 2003, power-pop, a silly genre tag that originated back in the 1970s to describe the mega-melodic and harmony-heavy rock being overlooked amidst the sea of Led Zeppelin’s arena bloat, has long been viewed as music’s lovable loser by the industry. It’s never a good sign when the official poster boys of a genre (in this case early 70s Memphis outfit Big Star) are barely known outside of record geek circles (although lauded by musicians from Elliott Smith to Wilco). Despite the genre’s commercial failings, it’s always been a favorite with critics. (Magnet Magazine just recently ran a cover story touting the likes of other late 70s underground heroes the Raspberries, Flamin’ Groovies and others.)
Unlike most critical darling subsets of pop music, however, the legions of chimey-guitar/boy-in-pain bands that comprise the power pop legions appear to be crafting instantly accessible music meant to flourish on the airwaves and provide the perfect soundtrack to lazy summer days. Of course in the commercial rock environment of the present it’s not particularly surprising to find pure melody thriving underground instead of in the spotlight, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept the fact that the immediately gripping songs on The Way We Never Were aren’t destined for the radio.
While waiting for the musical universe to right itself, groups like the Beatifics and Velvet Crush and solo artists like Matthew Sweet and Tommy Keene will continue playing the would-be-hits and striking riffs that make rock worthwhile for those people who cherish it.
The Beatifics play Sat. Feb 1 at the 7th St. Entry with the Idle Hands, Chin up Chin Up, and The Hundred Flowers. $6. 8 p.m. 21+. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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