The Maybellines – A La Carte Posted on February 24th, 2006 by Bob Ham
The Maybellines
A La Carte EP
Best Friends Records
On this band’s website, they refer to their music as “power-pop” which is quite a hard idea to wrap one’s head around. The airy, lightweight sound that I got when I heard this disc for the first time was sure pop music, but the only power I heard was that which keeps their amplifiers on and the tape machines going.
The five songs that this quartet graces this new disc with are jaunty little pop numbers frosted with a smattering of Farfisa and fine harmonies from lead singer, Julie Dorough. For all that, there’s really nothing to these songs. The playing (especially the guitar work) comes off like the band considers this a boring day job which renders the songs plateau-like from the start. For all of Dorough’s fine sense of harmony, she also couldn’t sound more uninterested and uninteresting as a vocalist. For all their cute artwork and jangly sound, this pop music does not pop.
March 2, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Wow, just by reading this, I’m glad I haven’t had my ears violated by such a sound. And I’m doubly glad I haven’t wasted time and/or money on the album!
I just looked at the Best Friends Records site, and they seem very enthused with the release of The Maybellines album, “A La Carte”. But their enthusiasm is followed by a quote they had from the westword: “comprising songs of syrup- dunked daintiness, the disc glitters with swooning romance, the sparkle of vintage casios and unadulterated pop innocence”
Can you spell vomitrocious? I can’t without spell check, but regardless of my grammar skills, the Maybelines seem more like the Maybenots.
March 25, 2006 at 9:22 am
you rediculous morons – where have the maybellines ever described themselves as “power pop”? they are INDIE POP! learn to read, please…
March 25, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Hey, Jones, I have two comments for you:
1) Don’t take record reviews so seriously.
2) Learn to spell, please…