Turning the guitars down. Against all rational thought indeed. But this is the daft idea the band had way back in 1996, when the Mendoza Line were holed up in downtown Athens, Ga – home of the fabulously jangly REM, Apples In Stereo, Elf Power and the so-called ‘Elephant Six’. You will be glad to know that the idea was a temporary aneurysm in an otherwise healthy brain and The Mendoza Line prepared a series of tracks that twinkle and twang with the best of ’em.
“If They Knew That This Was The End“ is taken from a trick-bag of recordings made several years before the impeccable slice of bohemia that was “Lost In Revelry“ (Cooking Vinyl). Having never been previously released (their semi-improvised debut for Bar/None, ‘We’re All In This Alone’ came out first) you could mistake it for a brisk, follow-up mood lightener – sharing as it does the same exhausting high of that same said School of Athens.
The band wanted to sound like the studio was being assaulted by a volley of guitars, and by golly it often does. And if you bought ‘Velocity Of Sound’ by Apples In Stereo last year, you’re going to be treated to lots more of this kind of craziness.
Although there are a zillion and one memorable moments going on in this little collection of unfinished vignettes (‘I Behaved That Way’, ‘The Aragon and The Trianon’) it is very much a snapshot of band figuring each other out (not least, the wonderful melting vocal chemistry shared by Hoffman and McArdle). Like a rush of sap in the early throws of spring, the energy surge is palpable. It may be a grizzled and partial landscape made of up of drifwood and old bottles, but there is tangible evidence of things about to take on form. ‘If You Knew Her As I Know Her’ bears all the smoky promise of anything off ‘Lost In Revelry’ and even if it fails to deliver the actual treasure, there’s pleasure to be had.
Anything bad to say? Well sort of.’This Charm’ sounds like Bob Dylan gatecrashing The Pixies with a really piss poor song indeed and ‘Wiretapping’ sounds like an idle Jesus and the Mary Chain mooching around in their bedroom slippers. Minor problems though for what is by all accounts a generous provisional offering.
Is it the end? I certainly hope not…