The Griswolds
Sparky’s Revenge
Dog Driver
It sounds like a Church group got together and recorded a pop album, complete with a full horn section (don’t forget the recorder, either!), good drums and lots of upbeat vocal harmonies.
I began to wonder, though, about the church group thing, “The More You Drink” contains this self-realization: “the more you drink, the better we sound” which speaks volumes about the road band experience. No church would let such talented members play bars. Unless they’re one of those crazy liberal sects… But “The Wrong Impression” is about refusing to take advantage of a sure thing (which, lyrically, reminded me of “Norwegian Wood”), so it’s back to the church group. “Latte” is proof that they know what’s up in the coffeehouse ‘zine scene, that’s for sure. The Griswolds (taken from National Lampoon’s Vacation, no doubt) play some really good pop music for a time; the first two tracks, “Tell Me,” and “Lost In These Days” are pop masterpieces, and then switch to sort of a dixieland jazz (“Shut Up I’m Trying to Sing”), slower ballads, polka-jazz, and some hard rockin’, like you’d hear from an Allman Brothers cover band. These folks are doing their own thing and doing it well.
