reviewed by fin
The Riffbrokers' record Your Superhero in That Bar takes a refreshing approach to power pop. Their sound is decidedly infused with a southern twang, not country, but humidity and Budweiser in a bar at 2 am. Nick Millward, the Riffbrokers' chief broker, sells sass and defeat like self-esteem interest rates are at an all time low. His Mason-Dixie grit drys up the vocals and guitars alike, yet he wisely recognizes the need to offset the sour with plenty of pop sweet. "Remind Me To" exemplifies a concoction of over-driven, searing guitars, Elvis (Costello, not Presley) vocals with smooth bass lines, chime-y organs, and enough pop sensibilities to take the 'Brokers to the bank. "Hatchet Heart" and "Parking Fine" are immediately listenable, four-on-the-dirty-floor, power chord masterpieces. Hidden in the mix are ooo-aaa's, tambourines, and female back-up vocals that further build on the Riffbrokers' auditory dichotomy.
At first listen the music feels a bit dumb in an underachiever sort of way, as if Millward were a PhD working at a drive thru. But Millward knows the trick is that although the best power pop sounds as if it were built on a foundation of dumb-guy guitar and predictably solid rhythm, constructing a memorable power pop song requires an innovative ear for what shouldn't work. "Eighty-sixed" is an example of the Riffbrokers attempting to slip one by the listener. Nearly the entire song is built around a few chords, up-tempo and jangly until the last 20 seconds when the song suddenly shifts into a waltz beat with a forlorn cello moving like an ocean swell across acoustic guitars. It's a barely noticeable shift that works perfectly as a divider between songs that might bleed together otherwise and serves as evidence that much more is going on with the Riffbrokers that mere riffs.
"Stockton Gala Days" ends on an awkward slow down and off chord that conventionally wouldn't be there. But here in lies the magic of a songwriter (editor's note - this song wasn't written by the Riffbrokers, but by the 10,000 Maniacs team) like Millward: his songs work because he incorporates elements from a variety of regions and genres without losing the straight-ahead motion of a solid power pop record. When the all-out guitar/organ medley at the end of "Attractive Nuisance" slowly fades to an uncomfortable silence, it's that rare moment when a record ends and you wish it would continue.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Number 23