Dolour's Suburbiac, Making Brian Wilson Smile

Dolour's Suburbiac is a beauteous, jangly one-man band album in the manner of early Rundgren. Dolour is Seattle's slight, young and very talented Shane Tutmarc who sings, writes, plays guitars, bass, piano, organ, drums, synths, and in keeping with his Brian Wilson jones, glockenspiel, mellotron and theremin for good measure.

In addition to Todd and Brian, I hear pieces of the Beatles (duh), Big Star, Eric Carmen, Material Issue, Third Eye Blind, and LA's Paisley Underground of the '80s (Three O'Clock, Dream Syndicate/Steve Wynn, Green On Red).

The first track, "Menage a Trois," is a charging Material Issue-like power-popper that posits Tutmarc's recurring theme of messy relationships: this one just a standard triangle (not the racy title) where he gingerly demands a decision regarding what he sees as an untenable situation. His resolve waivers a bit in the middle, but he's back to wanting a "me or him" decision by the end: pride vs. longing.

"Suburbiac" looks at a similar situation from the other side, set to an "Eleanor Rigby" arrangement, with the classic line "kissing you is like getting high on someone else's drugs." Clearly Shane's not down wit' O.P.P., going so far as to propose "let's make the most of your last $20 bill, and hire a hitman to hit your boyfriend." What would Father McKenzie say?

"So Done With You" (notice the theme) is a very Third Eye Blind beat ballad and of course the strain in his voice indicates that the title is wishful thinking.

"Iceland" is a Weezeresque modern rocker with fashionably processed vocals bemoaning the departure of a beloved exchange student back to the homeland of the title: "You took off to Iceland and I hit an iceberg." The song hits another level when Tutmarc leaps through falsetto arpeggios at the end.

Article Author: Eric Olsen

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