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THE NOISE - Rock Around Boston

P. J. O’Connell
"Dream Life"

Let me get one thing outta the way. Dear P. J. and everyone else:
DO NOT open your album with a cover of a worn-out, 12 bar standard when
the rest of it is this fucking good and doesn’t sound anything like it.
Otherwise, this is one of my favorite things in ages. If you like
lighter-but-not-wimpy singer-songwriter stuff such as Asa Brebner and
Tom Leach, you’ve made a new friend. Good tunes, un-sappy lyrics, ace
playing, great sound, purposeful arrangements. It won’t leap outta the
box and strangle ya, but it sure won’t letcha ignore it, either. For
those days when you feel like an actual adult human being and not some
scuzz ridden, ash-tray-breath, hungover party zombie who thinks it’s
hilarious that the cat somehow ended up in the trash-masher last night.
And believe me, I love that stuff. But do yourself a favor. Make
yourself a nice hot Ovaltine (or an iced tea, if it’s over 60 degrees),
put your favorite slippers on, curl up in a beanbag, maybe hire up a
professional masseuse to rub your temples, and glide peacefully aloft
with this sweet gentle breeze of a rock record. Joe Coughlin