Abstract Man

File this one under "Power Pop for Guitarists." That's not to say that non-guitarists won't enjoy it -- just about every song is layered with sweet musical confectionery that will please any fan of classic pop songcraft. But the real goodies that are hidden beneath the lush psychedelic choruses and the tight melodic hooks are for initiates in the Brotherhood of Tone. Notice, for example, the fuzzy density of the guitar solo on "Radio Man," and the wailing weirdness of the backing guitars on the reggae-flavored "Lollipop Guild." Other aspects of Fuller's songcraft are more backward-looking without being any less creative. Check out "Sunglass Wardrobe" with its jaunty Tin Pan Alley-by-way-of-the-Beatles melody and lyrics that are sort of a mirror-image of "When I'm Sixty-Four." (The guitar solo on that one is so weird that it may actually be a synth solo -- the fact that it's hard to tell is strangely annoying. Overall, it's a great song.) And if you're in the mood for something more topical, consider "Only in America," which features a doo-doo-doo-doo-waah intro followed by lyrics that offer a strange mix of wide-eyed patriotism and narrow-eyed cynicism, which is probably an appropriate mixture at this particular point in America's history. Not everything succeeds wildly. "Tomorrow Morning" brings in a countryish element and an awkward lyrical flow, and "Colour of the Wind" is just a bit too mawkishly psychedelic -- "Raise your hand and hold it close to mine/Magnetic fields in real time," etc. But most of it is pretty fantastic. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson|