Detroit native Bob Wilson (vocals, bass) has a great love of classic rock and pop influences, and it shows in this impressive debut. The opener “Sound Loses Strength” is very much a combination of The Beatles and Pearl Jam. A strong cover of the Left Banke’s hit “Don’t Walk Away Renee” follows, but the most distinct track here “I Am The Great Wallenda” has elements of both The Jellyfish and The Rembrandts, with the acoustic strum leading to an electric chorus. “Night Rider” leans a little too close to Pearl Jam, as Wilson even uses Eddie Vedder’s vocal inflections.
“The Wayback Machine” is an interesting juxtaposition of the Kennedy assassination to sing about the “butterfly effect.” Another real gem here is the sweet piano ballad “Ruby” that proudly made it onto the IPO compilation this year. A few tracks like “You Can Always Tell A Victim” sound overindulgent, with loud psychedelic flourishes. However, there is enough here to get really enthusiastic about.”Thumb” is another standout with its paranoid chorus “Never trust anyone with, anything that’s bigger than your thumb.” “Bad Seed” is another Jellyfish/Imperial Drag styled gem that ends things on a very strong note. Nothing predictable here, so dive right in and enjoy.
