It goes without saying that Columbus lost a fine band when the members of Miranda Sound called it a day. Fortunately, the story didn't end there.
Billy Peake and Sean Sefcik went on to form Bicentennial Bear in short order. Their new combo is looser and more engaging than Miranda Sound, as if the pressure and history of their previous band have been dashed to the wind.
Take their first release, Lost Summers, as evidence. The album is that rare breed of genuinely smart pop, catchy and well-crafted but not over-crafted, as if the musicians know what happens when you work a song to death.
Consider a track like "Black Quarterbacks," which is equal parts Guided by Voices arena rock and Pretty Mighty Mighty pop. Pleasantly, it also brings to mind the idea of Cheap Trick playing at Obama's inauguration.
There are quite a few gems of that caliber, from the driving "Cardinal Codes" to the hilariously band-baiting "Wave of Lost Summers." The album is reminiscent of a whole passel of Cars and British New Wave records that I want to listen to, if I can put this disc down any time soon.
It may be too early to call Lost Summers the album of the summer, but after letting it get under my skin, I'd call that a safe bet.
An album release show will be presented at 10 p.m. Friday (June 10) at Kobo, 2590 N. High St. Opening are Winter Makes Sailors, In Silent Movies and Dan Gerken. 614-784-0477.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Current users sign in here.
Register
If you do not have an account, set one up!
It's easy to do and it's free!