The Prime Ministers are pure power pop. There’s the “Ticket to Ride” drumbeat here, the 20/20 descending riff there, the perfectly placed “ahh” harmony and lots of eighth-note muted downstrokes propping up astute tales of suburban wonder and woe. In fact, many of theirs are ones that old Dwight Twilley, the Plimsouls or the Beat might’ve coughed up eons ago. Asked what the band listens to, fresh-faced guitarist-singer Todd Wicks says, “All the usual suspects: Replacements-Westerberg, Sloan, Cheap Trick, Superdrag. And lots of glam: T. Rex, Gary Glitter, Sweet, etc. Boring, I know.” Boring? Shit. See, PM is an apposite American power-pop quartet; twin guitars, bass and drums, and songs with bridges and counterpoint bass lines. Anybody remember those? The PM’s 2004 full-length, Go For Glory, heretofore qualifies as an overlooked Motor City gem. Here’s Wicks’ five monomanias of the week:
5. The New Stones Album: A Bigger Bang is out Sept. 6. One of my greatest fears is that something terrible will happen to me before I get to hear this.
4. whatevs.org: Finally back from hiatus. Uncle Grambo has given us too many mentions on (and new fans from) his extremely addictive blog to ever repay.
3. Revenge of the Sith: I similarly feared that something terrible would happen to me before I got to see this. Light sabers: the coolest cinematic invention ever.
2. Custard Corner: Frozen custard and assorted treats at Scott Lake and Pontiac Lake roads in Waterford. A musical tribute to this summer institution appeared on our last CD.
1. Marigold Kyle Wicks: She turned 1 on Saturday. Happy birthday, Goldie.
Thursday, Aug. 4, at Metro Times’ My Space Mixer in the Garden Bowl at the Magic Stick (4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700). The Mixer starts at 5 p.m.
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