Search - Waxwings :: Low to the Ground

Don't wait another minute, buy this CD!

James R. Brennan | Urbana, IL USA | 05/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is magic.Had I written this review a month ago when I first got the cd, I probably would have given it 4 stars and damned it with faint praise like 'great pop craftsmanship' or 'in the vein of Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds'. I found the first song, 'Keeping the Sparks', pleasant enough but not the kind of song where you'll wait in the car until it finishes. It lacked that hook that made you not just want but NEED to hear that song again. Not listening too carefully, the other songs seemed vulnerable to the same judgement. A decent homage to that pop/rustic 60s sound, but not exactly essential, was my first impression.But no longer, not now. This album is essential because each and every song will cut deep, rewarding grooves into your brain, and you will eagerly await the next chorus, verse, or bridge, and when the next song comes along, you'll say 'oh what a wonderful treat!' I realized this about week ago as I was listening to the cd on a gloomy Saturday in anticipation of seeing the band live. The eureka moment hit when I heard the song 'Untied' sung by Dominic Romano, singer of two of the album's 11 (or 12) songs. After the great intro riff, the song breaks perfectly into a slower rhythm with the words 'blue sigh I held you dusted why, swollen eyes that broke the night'. Is that what he said? Probably not exactly, but damn it sounded great. A couple of seamless rhythm changes later, I was sold. Romano's splendid alto makes his two songs, 'Untied' and the long-ago-summer-night nostalgic 'Sleepy Head', soar at the tenth listen when they passed nearly unnoticed the first time round. Singing harmony to lead singer Dean Fertita's deeper hoarse, the vocal result pushes otherwise only good songs like 'Low Ceiling' and 'Firewood' safely into the territory of great.But the album's other 9 (or 10) songs alone are already great. A few hours after my eureka moment, I saw them perform live at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, and while the sound was different--electric bar-room rock replacing the studio album's acoustic sensibility--the strength of the songs made the instrument change not matter a bit. 'While You Spiral' is a bass-player's dream and rocks at any volume. 'Ten O'Clock Your Time' rocked twice as hard. The strange and beautiful 'Fragile Girl' haunts you as much in a noisy club as it does in its Byrds-like production on this cd. The clincher is the 8-minute plus finale, 'It Comes in Waves', again starting with a great powerchord riff with crystal-clear background guitar, both driven by unassumming drums&bass rhythm. The production sound on the cd is pure retro 60s guitar folk/rock, almost as much as the cd's unbelievably retro cover design, but my point here is that even if you find 60's retro tiresome or hopelessly nostalgic, it just doesn't matter because the quality of the singing, playing, and above all the songs themselves transcend the production (I personally like this production sound, btw). I usually don't buy a cd if it doesn't have a song with a hook deep enough to grate bone, but I took a chance on this one and it paid off, big-time. Buy it, you won't be sorry.P.S. I understand that there is a twelfth bonus track called 'Next to Nothing' (hit rewind on the first track to -2:54), but my computer cd player can't find it--in fact, my computer crashed a couple of times when I put this cd in, likely because of this bonus track. I assume it's as wonderful as the cd's other songs. Those other songs are worth hundreds of computer crashes."

Excellent Job

Paul J. Mazzoni | Sioux City, IA | 09/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A coworker lent me this CD after he picked it up because of his familiarity with the record label. Bobsled is right here in my hometown: Aurora, IL. I wasn't expecting much from a small label album, but this thing blew me away. The problem with power-pop is it is sometimes indistinguishable from band to band. And "Keeping the Sparks" which starts the album sounded great, but the melody and lyrics seemed a little odd. But then comes "While You Spiral." Excellent tune. But the one that takes the cake is "Untied." I cannot stop listening to it. It will be in my memory for the rest of my life. It's that good! The CD is worth it just for that one song, but buy it for the rest anyway. You won't be disappointed."

Compulsive listening

gaius marius | Chicago, IL | 08/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wandered into the Empty Bottle one night last year to see The Chamber Strings, Stereo Total and The Waxwings. I went in for a beer, actually -- it wasn't until later that I realized that these bands were all on the Bobsled label (which comes highly recommended). Not ever having heard them before, they absolutely blew me off the floor with their opening set. Power pop with more than a little 60s influence, harmonic, electric and flowing. I developed permagrin about four songs in (and three beers) and it didn't leave for weeks. I was subsequently married to their CD for all of the autumn. The Waxwings led me a lot deeper into Brit trad rock, which shares many of the same characteristics.If you're a fan of Travis, Paul Weller, Cast, or of Brian Wilson-era rock, this is for you. Excellent songs, smartly done, perfectly produced."