Aug

15

2007

imperialteen.jpg
Artist : Imperial Teen
Album : The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band
Release Date : August 21, 2007
Website : Imperial Teen
Label : Merge Records
Free Downloads : Shim Sham
Rating : 6.0
Users Rating: 7.33 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (3 votes)

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If you’re craving a double scoop of classic power pop than Imperial Teen’s “The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band” may do you right just right. The band’s name may ring a familiar bell but you still may not recall exactly where you’ve heard that name before. Initially I couldn’t remember either. After careful contemplation on my part (and flipping through the press sheet) I did remember that Imperial Teen was the brainchild of former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum. Can you see it? Hear it? Feel it today? If you can’t, then it doesn’t matter anyway. Imperial Teen has released three albums since 1996 and after a long six year absence are back with their fourth album “The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band.”

The band’s sound often gets compared with the B-52’s for sheer fun, but with “The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band” I couldn’t help to think of other bands like Red Cross, The Posies and most of all…Let’s Active. Heck there’s even a track on here called “Room With A View” which has no relation to the same tune by Let’s Active. While the songs on the record doesn’t jump out and rock your world immediately, the songs consistently lay out addictive pop hooks that keeps you coming back for more.

In an odd interesting twist, if you ever wondered what the English band Clinic would sound like if they played a song by the Posies than you need to check out opening track “Everything.” Quirky 50’s like intro beat, a familiar chant of “1-2-3-4″ then a chorus that doesn’t get you all that excited, but then the verses start to fly off the tongue of Roddy Bottum in a syncopated manner where you want to jump up and down like the better Clinic songs. From there all the songs keep a familiar power pop style of having incredibly catchy verses, but with choruses that are standard bar band fare. The best of the batch would be tracks like “Do It Better” “Baby and the Band” and “Fallen Idol.” “Fallon Idol” stands out for its 60’s flavored pop ala Pas/Cal.

Nice to have these guys back again. Imperial Teen’s “The Har the TV the Baby & the Band” is tailor made for the power pop loving fans. Fans of Red Cross, The Posies, Let’s Active and Parson Redheads should check this one out. If only those choruses weren’t so standard fare stuff ….

Tracklist:
1. Everything
2. Do It Better
3. Shim Sham
4. Baby And The Band
5. One Two
6. Room With A View
7. It’s Now
8. Fallen Idol
9. Sweet Potato
10. Everyone Wants To Know
11. 21st Century
12. What You Do

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