Published on Aug 7, 1997
Whenever I receive a “welcome to the neighborhood” package from
a newer label, I always open it with some trepidation. I can’t help
it – I listened to so much “must-have-been-taped-in-the-bathroom”
crap when I was in college radio that I usually call in the Pierce
Memorial Archives Bomb Squad (“I can’t believe we’re not getting
paid for this”) to open the envelope.
This time around, the first disc I grabbed was the second
full-length release by Shallow,
High Flyin’ Kid Stuff. How can you not like an album with a
song named “Missile Command”? (Though, as a devotee of the MAME
emulator, I must point out the video game in the artwork is
actually “Defender.” True die-hard gamers will know about MAME –
check it out while it’s still legal.)
Mix the sonic energy of the Cocteau Twins with Sonic Youth and
add a singer who is a cross between Juliana Hatfield and Harriet
Wheeler of The Sundays, and you have Shallow. This album is almost
immediately endearing, and is one you’ll find you can’t take off
the CD player.
The husband/wife team of bassist Jason Shields and
guitarist/flutist/vocalist Julie Shields is the backbone of this
group, with Ryan Newton providing “guitar sounds.” (Live drums are
provided by three different individuals.) With the first notes of
“Missile Command,” Julie Shields immediately identifies this as a
sonic journey worth taking. The layering of guitars and guitar
“sounds” along with the trap work of Stephen Kretsinger (who
provides drums on all but two tracks), and you’ll find yourself
reaching for the earphones to truly take this journey in. The band
knows when it’s time to get gentle and when to knock the listener
on his/her/its ass – something you don’t often find in a band so
young.
If the album were all songs related to video games – as the
following track “Light Saber And The Video Game God” hints at –
we’d be looking at an alternative Buckner & Garcia (remember
those losers, kids?). Fortunately, they quickly branch out
into a different direction. “You Give Me Butterflies” is a song
about intense love – and, apparently, the loss of that feeling of
excitement. Julie Shields emotes this song well, bringing you on
the emotional rollercoaster without making it too much like a
classic tragedy.
The highlight of this album is the song I thought would have
been its downfall – “Studio 54 (It must be nice).” A bit of
background: I still believe to this day that disco sucks, and it’s
alive and well and living under the assumed name (something I can
relate to very well, having originally written under one) of
techno, house, rave… what are they calling it this week? Instead
of weakly resorting to this form of music (as they slyly hint at in
the opening bars), Shallow quickly takes it to a whole new level.
Julie Shields shines on this track, and is easily my favorite on
the album.
High Flyin’ Kid Stuff is filled with these moments – whether
it’s the stark arrangements of “Birthday” to the instrumental
wonders of “Wash, Dry, Fold” (where the use of the flute adds to
the power of the song) to the slow build on “Slowdrone,” Shallow
manage to keep things sounding fresh throughout the album.
The only real weakness I can see is the multi-tracking of vocal
parts. Sure, it’s very pretty at times, and is an intregal part of
Shallow’s sound. However, I question how difficult this would be to
pull off in concert. (I missed my opportunity to find out a few
weeks ago when the band was in Chicago – sometimes it’s a curse
playing Mr. Mom.)
The sound begins to get a little tiresome near the end –
especially on the feedback-driven “King Of The Wide Eyed Girls,”
which stretches a little long at six minutes. Still, this is a
small flaw on a great album.
As I’ve noted in many other reviews, the biggest challenge
Shallow will face is gaining people’s attention. A small,
independent label is just the atmosphere a band like this needs to
build up a fan base, but they face an uphill climb against some of
the watered-down shit the majors release in the name of pop. (This
is coming from the mouth of someone desparately trying to get those
same labels to notice this site.) Three words: it’s not fair – to
the band, that is.
High Flyin’ Kid Stuff is an album that deserves to be given
a fair shake in the competitive world of alternative music – and if
these musicians continue to put out high-quality work like this, I
think they’ll get their chance real soon. This one is definitely a
pleasant surprise, and is a candidate for my “Top Ten” list of
1997.