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Sept. 06
-- 4.5 STARS OUT OF 5
Talk about a long time coming: Roman Candle's debut has been
through two incarnations and three labels since its initial
Indie release as Says Pop back in 2002.
The latest
version, polished to a bright sheen by indie stalwart Chris
Stamey (exhibiting a previously hidden commercial acumen) introduces
a young band with an already mature, readily identifiable sound
built around Skip Matheny's disarming vocals and his drummer
brother Logan's infectious grooves.
On "Something
Left to Say," Skips sinewy, nasal tenor veritably trumpets
out of the speakers -- you cannot ignore this guy -- and the
track has a hook that keeps spiraling upward until it reaches
a bravura climax.
It's followed
by a dozen more impeccably crafted songs that are soulful, catchy
and literate in equal measure. The Chapel Hill quintets possesses
all the pure-pop essentials, and under the right circumstances
they could become the next matchbox twenty - but in a good
way.
If that
miracle occurred, it'd strip the irony form the irresistible,
must-hear demo on the band's myspace page: Why Modern radio
is A-OK.
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