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Faith No More keyboard
dude Roddy Bottum plays guitar and sings in Imperial Teen. But don't worry,
he's the only thing the two bands have in common. Seasick, which was
co-produced by Redd Kross's Steve McDonald, eschews the goofy jock-rock bombast
of FNM for the more self-effacing pleasures of indie pop à la the
Breeders -- tuneful nuggets of roughhewn sugar with a soft, chewy coating and a
hard, tart center.The disc's opening track, "Imperial Teen," retools the sexy swagger of T. Rex's "The Slider" for the '90s, replacing Mark Bolan's narcissism with the wry, self-depreciating wit of lines like "If I only had another hand/I'd cut it off and start a band." There's a charming hint of amateurism in the jangle-and-buzz groove of "Imperial Teen." Bottum clearly speaks guitar as a second language; his partner-in-chime Will Schwartz, who ably handles most of the lead vocals, is no Jim Martin (FNM's original six-string wiz); and bassist Jone Stebbins's last band broke up 10 years ago. But drummer Lynn Perko, a punk vet whose Amazonian backbeats once powered the Dicks and Sister Double Happiness, makes like Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson; every last luscious hook and melody is bedded on solid rock.
-- Matt Ashare
(Imperial Teen open for Bettie Serveert this Saturday, July 27, at T.T. the Bear's Place.)
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