I’m not sure if you could fill out a Jeopardy category based on great musical twins. There was the hip-hop group Twin Hype and Hee Haw regulars The Hagar Twins (neither who were Sammy, BTW). But those are the first two that come to mind. Maybe that’s because twins often seem like a gimmick. That’s not the case with Jez and Andy Williams of England’s oh so wonderful Doves. Jez writes the tunes and plays guitar while Andy plays the drums and they layer wonderful melancholy melodies with a big sound. They don’t exploit their twin-inness, I suppose and just concentrate on making good music. So they deserve a salute. Grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first ten tunes that come up.
Leatherface – Fine (The Last): At the time, it seemed, as the album title indicates, that Leatherface was done. And, at the time, they really went out on a high note. The Leatherface formula is simple muscular yet melodic guitars that are powerful and sad. Franklin Stubbs then sings in his ultra sore throated style, which is full of emotion, and every song builds to some sort of release, whether in a chorus or an instrumental break. This is typical of that style and sounds swell.
Maximo Park — A Fortnight’s Time (Our Earthly Pleasures): Lead singer Paul Smith’s recent solo album confirms how much the structure of his lyrics informs the construction of the tunes. At their best, and this is a really nice tune, he engages in serious yet witty wordplay, which resolves itself in a happier chorus. He is the classic smart guy who is dumb when it comes to matters of the heart.
The Beach Boys — At My Window (Sunflower): Bruce Johnston takes the lead vocal on this Brian Wilson/Al Jardine composition off of what many consider to be the second best Beach Boys album after Pet Sounds. Johnston has an airy vocal quality that is well-suited for this soft-pop trifle. A pretty song, but one of the weaker cuts on the album.
The Boys — U.S.I. (Alternative Chartbusters): In 1978, these guys were punk, but in retrospect, they were just a really loud power pop band. I don’t know what U.S.I. stands for, but this song takes a very basic hook and works it for all its worth in less than two minutes.
Bad Religion — Henchman (No Control): Wow, each song is getting shorter. This is a barely over one minute burst from this amazing punk album. Not sure if Bad Religion is heavy enough to really qualify as hardcore, despite their velocity. Their music just soars while Greg Graffin crisply sings more multi-syllabic words than any vocalist in rock history.
The Brothers Johnson — The Devil (Look Out For #1): A moralistic mid-tempo funk song from the debut album of these (non-twin) brothers who had four Top 40 hits in the ’70s and ’80s. George and Louis make it clear that Ol’ Scratch is a bad dude. For some reason, I seem to recall at some point the made a switch to Team Islam, but I may be confusing them with another ’70s R & B band.
The Zombies — Road Runner (Zombie Heaven): This Bo Diddley number was a staple in the repertoire of any self-respecting British beat band circa 1965. While Colin Blunstone is more known for his stately crooning, he was a very credible blues rock vocalist and gives it all on this cover, which stands out due to Rod Argent’s organ playing.
Richard X. Heyman — Anyone Who Tried (Cornerstone): A power pop artist who put out two albums on Sire in the ’80s, Heyman is a one man band. He layers on jangly guitars and harmonizes with himself on uplifting songs. While can be pensive, the bulk of his material is teeming with energy, mixing the jangle with a few power chords and his punchy drumming to make for catchy fun.
The Lemon Pipers — Rice Is Nice (Green Tambourine): One of my favorite bubblegum bands, in part because they were allowed two smoking blues rock songs amongst the juvenile rhyming songs like this one. The rice they are referring to is the rice that gets thrown on a couple after they get married.
The Hold Steady — Stay Positive (Stay Positive): I’m in the minority of folks who liked this album much better than Boys And Girls In America (though I agree their last one sounded like they were running out of gas). I just thought the balance of rockers and slow ones was right, the lyrics were better and there were no duds. Anyway, the title cut is a great mix, with verses that allow Craig Finn to bust out pop culture laced bromides building up to a chorus that is meant for shaking ones fist to and singing along.