While sitting behind the drums for a number of Bay Area bands, including the excellent dream pop combo
Seablite, Andy Pastalaniec harbored a dream. He wanted to write, play, and produce his own songs, and he wanted them to be as jangly as early
Primal Scream, as tuneful as
the Razorcuts' best, and as energetic as early
Television Personalities.
Chime School's debut album is the result of that dream being fulfilled thanks to some hard work learning to master a portastudio and a knack for cranking out hooky indie pop. This album is nonstop electric 12-string jangle, straightforward melodies, earnest vocals, and tight rhythms, most of them surprisingly provided by a drum machine. Pastalaniec has obviously put in time doing some heavy listening to the early Creation catalog and loads of folk-rock, especially
the Byrds. Most of the album sounds like it could have come out on Creation in 1985 or so, nestled in the discography between
the Jasmine Minks and Meat Whiplash. On the surface, it makes for a neat trick of nostalgia that quite a few other bands have done before to varying degrees of success. Pastalaniec's efforts pay off like a longshot winner in the daily double.
Chime School not only sounds like it could have come out in the mid-'80s, it would have been one of the best albums of the era, still talked about decades later in reverent tones. Pastalaniec absolutely nails the production, layering the guitars like sparkling gems, keeping the bass and drums locked together like lovers holding hands in the park, and singing over the top in a winningly innocent manner. The songs are instant hits, each one jumping out of the speakers like an eager-to-please puppy. The up-tempo tracks hit hard and fast, the hypercharged "Dead Saturdays" and "It's True" are fine rockers made extra nice by the soaring twang of the guitars. The songs that bring the speed down a little are lovely nuggets of melancholy; "Radical Leisure" is a sweetly sung lament for the times, "Taking Time to Tell You" is radiant and features some pro forma but still perfect ba-ba-ba backing vocals. It's easy to pick out highlights, the album is chock-full of them. Pastalaniec just plain does everything right on the album from soup to nuts, and the result is an indie pop lover's dream that's a lovely combination of being wrapped up tight in a nostalgic hug and being slapped awake by immense hooks that have the same effect as about seven cups of coffee. ~ Tim Sendra