Dave Chamberlain

With so many bands playing garage rock for the sake of garage rock--often forgetting the need for razor-sharp hooks set against the inherent sloppiness--you can already smell the backlash. With that in mind, hats off to the Greenhornes, a four-piece band (keyboardist/vocalist Jared McKinney has departed) drenched in the back-room backbeat that, of course, recalls the sixties, but never forgets to add real substance to their songs. The Greenhornes latest, "Dual Mono" (Telstar), takes a tangible step beyond their previous three, helped along by John Curley's (formerly of Afghan Whigs) production--he's was behind the controls of their last as well--and a couple guest-vocal spots by Holly Golightly. The Greenhornes keep away from the punk-rock side of the garage, instead dipping from the psychedelic pool and washing songs in slurry vocals, sparkling but lo-fi guitars and, naturally, the kind of backbeat percussion that makes you feel like you're standing in some Liverpool basement in 1963 surrounded by mop-haired Brits named John and Paul. The sloshing, swaying cadence of "The Way It's Meant to Be" is destined to land on some future "Nuggets"-like compilation made in 2020; "It Returns" ' simple chord progression provides a perfect backdrop to Craig Fox' Kurt Cobain impression. The Greenhornes play a pretty straightforward rock show without an excess of extra-curricular activity, but it's genuine and their songwriting goes a long way toward balancing out their lack of over-the-top antics.

The Greenhornes play October 24 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600.

(2002-10-23)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

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Dancehall reggae has dominated Jamaican music for fifteen years, which prompts two questions: why is it suddenly gaining stateside attention beyond New York and Miami, and why does the dancehall that's breaking suck?
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Tip of the Week
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