I JUST NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME HOW TALL I AM
Review: Time Out NY
By Ken Micallef
Ever since John Lennon bought
R&B singles imported by sailors
passing through the port of Liverpool, musicians have stuck out their
noses in hopes of catching an exotic
scent. Minibar reverses the classic
formula of American musicians ripping off the British: The band formed
in London in the mid-'90s, then migrated to L.A. But unlike the Brit-worshipping power pop of many
American bands past and present,
Minibar bows at the altar of foggy,
'70s era L.A. folk pop.
Lead singer Simon Petty purrs in
dark shades of blue and brown as he
muses about "big city lights," "sleepy,"
diners" and making "making plans for a clean
escape." The band's extravagant pop
is just as colorful, overflowing with
lilting 12-string acoustic guitars, galloping drums and harmonies so etherreal and feminine you might mistake
them for a ghost in mink. But even its
retro SoCal sound, Minibar's melodic
English roots peek through.
The band isn't revolutionary, and its
influences are obvious (Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young; the Byrds), but within its
small world, Minibar explores singular
nooks, like the lost-in-space glow of
"Badlands," the sunset flavored rock
of the title track and the aching
isolation of "Breathe Easy." "Fly
Below The Radar" is just the right album
for getting lost in what Petty describes
as that lonely, lethargic moment when
"time waves goodbye."
From Time Out NY
Issue No. 409 June 10-17, 2003
© 2003. All Rights Reserved. Time Out New York.
