Published on Sep 26, 2002
The Poppin’ Wheelies are: (a) a new boy band sponsored by the
American Motocross Association; (b) a high-concept musical cartoon
with a “Star Wars meets Josie and the Pussycats by way of
Scooby-Doo” feel; (c) a slang term for skate punks who do a lot of
uppers. Now that you’ve had a chance to think about it, hold that
thought.
Of all the good things that have happened musically in the year
2002 — a category which in my mind includes a new Springsteen
album, the ascendance of Jimmy Eat World, a terrific album from
Sheryl Crow, and the replacement on the charts of the likes of
Britney Spears with the likes of Michelle Branch – my favorite may
still be a development which has yet to produce any new music at
all. The Gin Blossoms are back.
For those who slept through the first half of the ’90s, the Gin
Blossoms were a five-man powerhouse pop-rock band out of Tempe,
Arizona whose propulsive single “Hey Jealousy” conducted a gradual
takeover of the charts in fall 1993. With just two major-label
albums to their name (1992’s
New Miserable Experience and 1996’s
Congratulations I’m Sorry), they broke up all too soon in
1997. Five years later, they’re back, having toured all this spring
and summer, generating buzz and working on a 10th anniversary
reissue of NME, a DVD retrospective, and, potentially, new music
for ’03.
During their four-plus year hiatus, Blossoms members worked on a
number of other projects, including the ill-fated Gas Giants, a
promising band featuring Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson and
drummer Phillip Rhodes that was among the victims of the great
A&M Records implosion of 1998. Somewhere late in the GG era,
Robin Wilson got an idea that he just couldn’t let go of, combining
his love of Saturday morning cartoons with his affection for the
simple joys of under-appreciated power-popsters like Marshall
Crenshaw.
Thus were born the Poppin’ Wheelies, a space-age rock band who
travel the universe in their GalactaVan (a vehicle that bears a
distinct resemblance to the van pictured on the cover of
New Miserable Experience), playing gigs on planets like Las
Vega while being stalked by the Black Widow Comandress and her
robot henchmen the Techno-Pops, who covet the Wheelies’ enchanted
guitar.
The Poppin’ Wheelies is a truly odd disc, a soundtrack for a
TV series that hasn’t made it past the storyboard stage to date,
whose booklet features vibrant full-color renderings of characters
who thus far exist in Wilson’s mind alone. Still, there’s no
denying the energy of the music or the joy Wilson – aided and
abetted by Rhodes and Gas Giants guitarist (and fellow former Gin
Blossom) Dan Henzerling – pours into it.
The tracks are a buoyant mix of Wilson originals and
well-executed covers. Coming in for special attention are three
tracks from undergound/semi-legendary ’80s power-pop genius Tommy
Keene. The fact that the Wheelies’ lead singer/rhythm guitarist’s
name is “Tommy “appears to be less than coincidental, as most of
the album comes off as an admiring Keene homage. That means
three-minute songs with simple, catchy guitar riffs, upbeat yet
searching lyrics, and unrelenting energy.
Wilson manages to work in a host of space-age references in
songs like “Little Stars” that make you wish you had the whole
cartoon in front of you instead of just six pages of artwork.
Still, the flavor is there, as are the roots of the Blossoms’
guitar-heavy sound. Foreshadowing this year’s reunion, Blossoms
guitarist Scott Johnson drops in to put the finishing touches on
Wilson’s fairly brilliant take on Keene’s best-known cut, the
ringing yet melancholy “Places That Are Gone.” The fact that Wilson
and Blossoms guitarist/harmony vocalist Jesse Valenzuela also
guested on Keene’s 2002 album
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down just cements the impression
that Blossoms fans have a lot to thank Tommy Keene for.
Bottom line: while it’s a brief (36-minute) little confection
that lacks the emotional heft of a Gin Blossoms album, this is a
truly fun album that any Blossoms fan will want to have in their
collection. Hopefully someday we’ll get to see Tommy, Danny,
Tennessee, Otis and Cracky do their thing for real on the small
screen…