The Fat Angel Sings

There might be plenty going wrong in this crazy old world we’re currently existing in, but the fact that a label like Omnivore Records is releasing a record like Conrad in 2016 should be a cause for some sort of celebration. Some are calling this a power pop record, but it seems to be a tad too sophisticated for that limiting tag and besides, we’re not exactly dealing with an Iggy and the Stooges type of instrumental attack here. No, this is more pretty pop than power pop – Andy Reed, Keith Klingensmith, and Chris Richards write songs that are gently pleasing and they harmonize like choirboys throughout.“Short Term Memory.”  Mixing big guitars with big harmonies, their recorded output has one foot in the classic pop era of the 60’s and 70’s (Beatles, Beach Boys, Nilsson, Big Star) and one foot with the current era of classic pop (Nada Surf, The Autumn Defense.) The “Intro To” E.P. features a new song, “Anything”, from the upcoming Omnivore Recordings release “Conrad”,

The best songs of the batch seem to be tucked in the middle of the disc: the deceptively cheery-sounding “She Called Me to Say,” the self-deprecating “The Cool Kid” and – especially  Klingensmith’s lone songwriting credit, the sublime, Teenage Fanclub-influenced “Pull My String.”