Album number two from California indie pop trio
the Makes Nice finds the boys in slightly less aggressive but equally impressive form. While
the Makes Nice seemed to be working the punk-influenced edginess out of their system on
Candy Wrapper & Twelve Other Songs,
This Time Tomorrow suggests they've embraced their lot as a latter-day power pop outfit and they're more than OK with that. The disc's most aggressive number, "Don't Do It Some More," is also the only cover, and while Josh Smith certainly isn't afraid to turn up his guitar on "You Treat Me Bad," "Her Personal Vendetta," and "You Can't Stand the Competition," the emphasis here is on the band's scrappy but engaging melodies and the sweet but potent harmonies of Smith and bassist Aaron Burnham. The stripped-down attack of
This Time Tomorrow recalls
the Who's earliest sides without the pyrotechnic feedback, and Phil Manley's minimalist audio brings out
the Makes Nice's strengths without cluttering the landscape. The band also kicks out their 14 hook-heavy songs in just a bit over a half-hour, while their broadside on the evils of global warming, "Waterworld," warns about life in a world full of surfers in a mere 100 seconds. With
This Time Tomorrow,
the Makes Nice have released two spunky and thoroughly fun albums of hot-wired pop in a row, which is more than most of their peers have managed, and it's not hard to believe they'll make it a hat track before too long. ~ Mark Deming