Something Romantic is boy-girl trash-rock that's delicate and shit-kicking — similar to Royal Trux or Jucifer junkie-rock, but too damn sweet and joyous to be tagged as such. Keith's (no surnames here) vocals boast a snottiness that borders the Dead Milkmen's Rodney Anonymous; but where the Milkmen could get tiresome quickly, Keith's are tempered by Sammy's creamy-sweet, swoon-worthy voice. She might have the best set of pipes in Detroit rock 'n' roll right now.
This collection of consistently strong songs (including the superb "Andy's Eyes") is fleshed out with a pair of well-chosen covers — Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" becomes a hectic garage stomp and Melanie's great '60s masterpiece "Brand New Key" showcases Sammy's vocal strength.
The sound quality detracts from this debut though — lo-fi's great but this sounds like it was recorded in the kitchen on a 1983 Fisher Price boombox. So what? The songs and performances transcend the muffle and hiss. And, oh, by the way, hope you still got that tape deck handy; this release is cassette-only. To get the release, go to myspace.com/rootbearband.
Mike Ross writes about music for Metro Times. Send comments to [email protected].
