Uni Boys

Uni Boysによる、ブルックリンで2週間かけて全編アナログ録音された3作目となるセルフタイトル・パワーポップ・ニューアルバム。クラシックなメロディへの独特の感覚、圧倒的なポップの力強さで若い世代の音楽シーンの心を掴み、伝説的な先達たちの尊敬も勝ち取った。今回も友人である The Lemon Twigsがカメオ出演。

On their first two albums Uni Boys shoehorned together New York Dolls-y swagger, punky attitude, glam rock glitter, and power pop hooks. The fit was close to being right on, but it felt like maybe the band hadnt quite figured out what they wanted to be and the groups two songwriters, Reza Matin and guitarist Noah Nash, maybe had different ideas where they wanted to go. On their third album, usefully self-titled like many an album where the band undertakes a revamp, Matin and Nash are on the same page, the band have landed on a unified approach, and sound better than ever. This time around theyve jettisoned almost all of the punk and Dolls-y hard rock in favor of a sprightly brand of power pop thats reminiscent of the tight and peppy approach of L.A. bands in the 70s. Recorded with nary a frill, stripped of anything but the sharpest hooks, and equally desperately broken-hearted and hopefully romantic, this is exactly what the band should be doing. Tracks like the Beatles-y "Youll Curse His Name Again" and the jumpy "I Dont Wanna Dream Anymore" are gleefully nostalgic, the band sounding like they are having a blast. So much so that its impossible for the listener not to join in the fun. The ballads are tearstained and only a little winkingly over the top: "Abra" is especially morose, "Genevieve" less so thanks to the happily posh piano break and the Beach Boys-like harmonies. The Lemon Twigs provide these and the bands do have something in common; twisting the past to their own purposes and making it come to life again. Its impossible not to hear the Uni Boys influences, and songs like the bouncy "Sin Your Life Away" or the jangling "Maybe Im Wrong" are so very retro, but theres a spark here that many other bands working the same side of the street cant quite replicate. Uni Boys wont make anyone forget the Nerves or the Paley Brothers or 20/20, but their work stacks up nicely next to these groups and all the original wavers. Now that theyve figured out what kind of band they want to be, the future seems very bright for Uni Boys and the future of power pop. ~ Tim Sendra