Bright Little Field
Treatment Bound: A Ukulele Tribute to The Replacements
Bar/None Records
A tribute to one of America’s greatest bands, The Replacements? Hell yes!
And it’s really damn good? Can’t hardly wait!
Played on ukuleles? Wait…what?
This record by Bright Little Field, Jonathan Bright and Tom Littlefield (formerly of the Questionnaries), succeeds handily despite what you might think. Once thought of as a novelty, the lowly uke has exploded in popularity in recent years, and what better music to play than the ‘Mats? Shorn of all the big electric guitar/rock star trappings of the originals, these 12 songs work because the material is so very strong. When they sing A dream too tired to come true/ Left a rebel without a clue/ Won’t you tell me what I should do? (“I’ll Be You”), they nail that elusive melding of desperation and apathy that was at the heart of Paul Westerberg’s greatest tunes. Who cares if it’s on a uke?
The record starts with Let It Be’s “We’re Comin’ Out” and never lets up. From “Achin’ to Be” or “I Will Dare” to a compelling “Skyway” or the classic ‘Mats tune, “Can’t Hardly Wait,” there isn’t a dull moment found, and by the end of record you’ll never hear The Replacements – or a ukulele – the same way again. It has been said that there are no bad songs, only bad versions. Treatment Bound shows that despite how you play ‘em, these songs are classics. And really, would you rather hear “Tip Toe through the Tulips” or “Androgynous”? This is brilliant.
Just f’n brilliant.
Bright Little Field: http://brightlittlefield.fourfour.com • Bar/None Records: http://bar-none.com
