The One That Brought You

Grand Champeen's third album, The One That Brought You, builds upon the solid Midwest-by-Southwest rock foundation of Out Front by the Van and Battle Cry for Help. While the Champ's sound is still rooted firmly in their Twin/Tone-era Replacements and Soul Asylum collections, it sounds as if they've also dusted off their old Superchunk singles too. That's not to say that the record is exceedingly derivative; it's not. Instead of simply aping its influences, GC captures the same honesty and exuberance that the band's forbearers harnessed and turns it into something fresh and original. "The Good Slot" and "The Rest of the Night" jump off the turntable as if the listener had accidentally started spinning Big Star's #1 Record on 45 rpm with the volume knob stuck at 11. And it doesn't let up, packing 14 songs into just under 40 minutes, only slowing down long enough to weigh in with the fantastic Gram Parsons-esque ballad "Step into My Heart." The One That Brought You is the perfect record for any old Hüsker/'Mats/Asylum fan who has ever said, "They don't make 'em like that any more." They Dü.