Songs In the Key Of... Lovejoy

Listening to Songs in the Key of Lovejoy brings back memories of Sarah records, Bus Stop records, and those heady days back in the early '90s when indie record shops were overflowing with 7"s by wispy indie pop groups with names like Bulldozer Crash andHoneybunch. Lovejoy uncannily captures the shaky boy and girl vocals, the plucky acoustic and shyly strummed electric guitars, the lovelorn and wistful lyrics. The opening track, "A Taste of the Highlife," sounds like it is right off of an Even As We Speak record, and "Radio" from a Brighter single. Almost. See, Lovejoy is lacking a few things that made bands like Even As We Speak and the Orchids so good: memorable tunes, a spark of originality, a voice of their own, a unique sound. They need something to make them more than just mere copyists. A track like "Sunset Sky," with its vague and blurry guitars set against a space age drum'n'bass rhythm, is a good start, as is "Tomorrow's World," which cheekily rips off the drums from Primal Scream's "Loaded" and has a bit of lyrical bite and musical drama that is sadly lacking in the rest of the album. In fact, the track is so good that one can't help but be angry that the rest of the record isn't up to the same standard. Let's hope this track, the last on the record, is a harbinger of things to come from Lovejoy and not just an aberration.