Garageland is a classic pop/rock band, pure and simple, and the excellent
Scorpio Righting proves it beyond a reasonable doubt. Evocative of
the Kinks,
Small Faces,
Pavement,
Big Star, and
the Replacements in their ragged halcyon heyday,
Garageland excels at the three-minute opera, packing melody, harmony, and emotion aplenty into a simple intro-verse-chorus-bridge format. Be it social commentary ("Superstars"), love imperiled ("Life Is So Sweet"), or romantic fantasy gone awry ("High Way"), this versatile quartet renders their musings with a footloose and fancy-free veneer via intuitive guitar counterpoint, breezy vocals, and a firm backbeat. Enjoyable and spirited,
Scorpio Righting is a cohesive mixed bag of pop/rock goods. ~ Tom Semioli