Lanny Durbin underlines how great classic Power Pop can be when offered up by someone who knows what he is doing. Durbin across Starter Jackets and Local Drags never ever fails to deliver the hooks and choruses that are a pre-requisite of the genre in a beautifully arranged and produced format.
Local Drags is his solo project and he as always nails it across all areas. At pace, he compares with the likes of Lannie Flowers in his ability to not miss a beat. On the slower songs, he compares to Jeff Whalen with a vocal that never makes the song mawkish, too many do the latter.
Aloe is a riff driven crackerjack of a song, a gripping riff, a chorus to just applaud and a guitar break that is just the right length. On The Side is 80s Power Pop equal to the mighty Tommy Keene and Totally Down just jangles you into submission before the awesome solo kicks in.
Good For Nothin' reveals Durbin's other side, a melancholic acoustic joy that builds and builds into a fine singalong and even gets a little Americana towards the end. Heard About It is probably what Local Drags do best, a pacy riff driven with a great twanging solo.
The closer, Better Now is a little heavier sounding than what goes before, it reminds me a lot of The Speedways. It even feels looser than the other nine songs, but the constant building up just leaves you wanting more.
A lot gets said about Power Pop, a lot of it uncomplimentary. It may do people well to bear in mind that is essentially happy songs about unhappy relationships. Power Pop should put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Local Drags are Power Pop. Stop here first before you have any misconceptions and how great a listen, it can be.
You can listen to and buy the album here. You can buy the CD here.
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