Sometimes you get an album that leaves you speechless, and not the oh-my-God-this-is-the-new-Pet-Sounds or the what-the-hell-were-they-thinking varieties of speechless, but rather the I'm-not-fully-sure-what-to-make-of-this kind. I felt this way the first time I listened to Revolutions, the new CD by Stratocruiser.
I usually have a clear picture of my review after the first three songs. This album has practically everything I like — guitars that alternatively jangle and crunch, pop hooks and Beatles-esque harmonies, and one of my favorite producers (Mitch Easter) steering things. I figured maybe I was just tired and put it aside.
A few days later I took advantage of some lovely weather here in the nation's capital and listened to it during a mid-afternoon stroll around my neighborhood. Enjoying a cup of coffee in my favorite local shop, the album's charms became more apparent.
You can call it an homage to the ABC's of 70s cool — Aerosmith, Badfinger and Cheap Trick — but that would be taking the easy way out. Yes, it's very derivative, and a bonus cover of Led Zepplin's "Misty Mountain Hop" makes it apparent where their heart lies. But Stratocruiser smooth out their guitar crunch with some sweet Beatles-esque harmonies and do it with equal parts intelligence and flair so that you never know where the songs are heading. They feel as at home with the Thin Lizzy-esque twin guitar stomp of "Vegas To Memphis" as they do with the Merseyside jangle of "Last Christmas Girl." Other highlights include "Starched White Shirt," "Saw Your Picture," and the anthemic "Rock and Roll City."
With Revolutions, songwriters Mike Nicholson and Clay Howard have created a solid CD of clever, agreeable power-pop, with enough catchy tunes to become an integral part of every music fan's summertime playlist, even if you can't always easily describe it.
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