Outrageous Cherry
Why Don’t We Talk About Something Else
Rainbow Quartz
If Outrageous Cherry actually blossoms into Detroit’s next big thing like they’re rumored to, I’ll still be ambivalent about the Motor City’s music scene. Just like the obvious odes to The Stooges and The MC5 that’ve come from local bands like The Dirtbombs, Von Bondies and The White Stripes, Outrageous Cherry’s sound is similarly stuck three or four decades in the past. Both the title track and “Don’t Worry” aim for the same meticulous splendor of prime Brian Wilson, and they pull off a decent, no-frills interpretation, but come on… anyone who’s listened to indie pop for the last decade should be satiated on that sound by now. Also, the more keyboard-driven remnants of the Elephant 6 collective – The Ladybug Transistor and Essex Green especially – are currently making more interesting statements from the same song components. The remaining three tracks on the disc prove that songwriter Matthew Smith isn’t completely consumed with bubblegum. “Eternity Changed Her Mind” is a decently languid strummer; “Detroit Blackout” is an interesting, if somewhat sloppy, funk workout under an acid haze; “My Suspicious Midwest,” the EP’s best song, has a haunted quality as it drives the same dark pavement Bob Seger did at the beginning of his career. This song has an expanse that the rest of the disc lacks, and Smith would be better served next time if he broaden his scope even more.
Rainbow Quartz: http://www.rainbowquartz.com
