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GOLDMINE
THE BEATIFICS
How I Learned To Stop Worrying
All right, it's time to dispense with the formalities and let
the gushing begin: this is a GREAT, GREAT record!
Led by the singing and composing talents of one Mr.Chris Dorn (ex-Rockerfellers honcho),
the Beatifics have put down 10 slices ofsheer pop perfection, with just enough sweetness
and crunchiness to satisfy both true popsters and Gin Blossoms fans alike.
The sweetness comes in the form of Dorn's innocent, winning, "this guy could
probably sing the freakin' Yellow Pages and I'd listen" voice; the crunchiness
is in the instrumental attack (kudos to guitarist Andy Schultz, bassist Paul Novak
and drummer Randy Seals), which is more forceful and between-the-eyes than that of
the Rockerfellers' fellers.
TheBeatifics impress right out of the chute with "Almost Something There,"
a rockin'blast in which Dorn briefly quotes the Mary Tyler Moore Show theme (makes
perfect sense...the guy's from Minnesota!).
That segues nicely into the boppy"Something/Anything?" -- ten points if
you can guess where Dorn borrowed that titlefrom -- with blissful guest background
vox from fellow pop guy JimJim Vandalia and awell-placed slide guitar peppering the
melody.
Next up is "This Year's Jessica," a follow-up of sorts to the Rockerfellers'
"I Love You Better" ('cept Dorn doesn't get the girl this time...but he
does allow former Titanic Love Affair guitarist JayBennett to kick off the proceedings
with a groovin', Raspberries-esque guitar riff).
The plaintively sweet "Without A Doubt" slows the pace up a wee bit, with
Dorn dressing things up by adding some piano, Hammond and mellotron (presumably not
simultaneously!), while the classic-in-waiting "Happy To Be Sad" finds
Dorn and the gang heeding the clarion call to joyously ring them guitars and pound
themdrums... awesome!
How I Learned To Stop Worrying is a damn near flawless disc of popdelights that should
help place Chris Dorn in the forefront of up-and-coming pop music talents; it should
also leave the listener smiling beatifically (ouch!).
-- John M. Borack |
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