Beat Happening
You Turn Me On
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Up in Washington State, the do-it-yourself revolution continues, and leading the charge are the three members of Beat Happening, America's reigning indie avatars. Singer Calvin Johnson also runs the charming K Records label, and with fans such as Kurt Cobain and Fugazi's Ian MacKaye, the band is idolized by idols. On You Turn Me On, neither Johnson's foghorn baritone nor Heather Lewis's schoolgirl alto can carry a tune in a bucket; the band's musicianship is rudimentary at best (all three alternate between drums and guitar to no discernible effect). But as with any truly good rock band, it's vision – not mere chops – that drives their engine. The group's songs combine
Read More the spooky-sparse quality of early rockabilly with the naive sound of Sixties teen-beat pop. Even without bass, Beat Happening's catchy, inchoate pop often induces a spirited frug or swim, even while conveying worldly wisdom ("Bury the Hammer"), macabre double-entendre ("Pinebox Rock") or guileless love songs ("Godsend"). The band's brisk, beguiling guitar drones peak on the atmospheric "Hey Day" and the sublime "Tiger Trap," on which Johnson intones about the hazards of intimacy and finds "the bitter-tasting core of the sweetest fruit." The incessant tom-tom thud suddenly gives way at the end to a toy-soldier snare tip-tap; the track flies away on diaphanous wings. Even after ten years and five albums, the trio recalls the unspoiled creative energy of kids picking up instruments for the first time. This – and the ability to expand a child's limited vocabulary of elation and anxiety into adult themes and complex feelings – is Beat Happening's special talent. To some, the band's amateurism might sound like just that, but it's really a celebration. No doubt about it, punk lives. (RS 649) MICHAEL AZERRAD |
