If only the first label didn't go belly up after the release of the debut album…
If only the endless parade of compliments for Pat's pretty orange-sparkle Ludwig drum kit translated into record sales…
…Then it's likely that more than just the hardest-core pop-rock junkies - those whose record collections are insured and bonded and (like the man once sang) never travel far without a little Big Star - would be intimately familiar with the melodic, yet crunchy; reverential, yet exquisitely contemporary musical stylings of The Bigger Lovers.
The Philadelphia quartet's 2001 debut, How I Learned to Stop Worrying, blew minds with its bombastic sonics, delicate sophistication and drop-dead gorgeous songs. U.K. mag Uncut gave it four stars and deemed it a `dazzling trove of glorious power-riffing, celestial harmonies, and spunky, crunchy melodies.' CMJ dubbed it a `finely crafted communion of pop-rock's touchstones: pre-Tommy Who, Brian Wilson, the Zombies, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, Chris Bell-era Big Star.' Even radio noticed, as influential stations like KCRW/Los Angeles, WXPN/Philadelphia, WFMU/Jersey City, WRAS/Atlanta, and the vaunted Beeb (that's BBC) in England got on board. After a solid year of touring, a European release for Worrying, writing, demoing, and releasing a 7" single, the Lovers have returned with a dignified mother of a follow-up record: Honey in the Hive. Produced by Thom Monahan (Pernice Brothers, Beachwood Sparks, J. Mascis) and engineered by Brian McTear (Burning Brides, Swearing at Motorists, Mazarin) the 11-song record finds the Lovers lightening up on the reverb, bumping the guitars up a notch, and delivering more achingly bittersweet songs and tightly wound harmonies than should be allowed by law.
From
the opening blast-off of "Half-Richard's" (really, when was
the last time you heard `rhubarb pie' rhymed with `eyes'?), to the swelling
hooks of "Emmanuelle" (not about the soft-porn starlette, but
never let the facts get in the way of a good story), to the rhythmically
shifting rave-up "What Would it Take?," to the soft and dreamy
lullaby closer "Minivan Blues," the Lovers have again made a
vibrant pop rock record that will remind you of so many great ones from
pop's past, yet resonates with a decidedly current-minded resolve.
The Lovers will be touring in the fall and beyond in support of Honey
in the Hive. Do catch them when they come to your town. They'll be the
guys perusing the jukebox and the draught beer selection with trained
eyes.
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