This weeks’ Album of the Week is 34 years old, but it’s been on heavy rotation for the past couple of months. I just keep going back to it.
Earlier this year DIG! Records reissued the 1983 debut album by Old Town, Virginia’s The Strand. “Seconds Waiting” was originally released by Wasp Records into relative obscurity but hopefully this release will change that because this is pretty much textbook perfect power pop. If you’re jonesing for Shoes, Kinks, or The Records then “Seconds Waiting” will hook you up.
From DIG!
“You and Me” kicks the album off with a spot on slice of teenage naivety and a “96 Tears” caliber organ run. “Popular Girl” and “I Understand You” sidestep the saccharine moves of their bubblegum and glam rock neighbors, for more austere vibes of Kinksy doom and gloom, residue from a Brit-invasion hangover. Feedback cues the blitzkrieg of supercharged guitars on “Kids Today”, while the previously unreleased studio track, “Scarred Streets”, showcases the band at their most agro! “One More Ring” rivals Protex, The Nerves and Badfinger in the category of All TIME GREATEST POWER POP SONG FEATURING A TELEPHONE. Post punk menace weighs in on the second half of the album, oddly climaxing with minor chords and a haunting bridge on the album’s title track, for an out-and-out KILLER long player throughout!
