The Dears - End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story

8.0 - Canada - 2000

When a band namechecks André Gide in the opening line of their debut, they're more or less putting up a big sign saying, "Hey look at us! We're literate!" When they ask, "Have you ever heard of Gide?", it's like they're saying "Yes, I myself am very familiar with this writer, but you may not be." Well, fuck you, yes, I have heard of Gide, and I don't require your advice on whether or not he's "full of lies." Asshole. Err, in any event, singer-guitarist-songwriter and noted owner of a fantastic name Murray Lightburn is sick of the Morrissey comparisons, which are unfair, because despite the romantic ennui of his lyrics, his voice doesn't really sound that much like the Moz (though, being a black guy who does sound like some pasty-faced Brit, he is kind of a reverse Joe Cocker). At some points, the histrionics get a bit much (and Lightburn doesn't always have sufficient pipes to deliver the goods), but it mostly works, notably in the distorted howl of "Heartless Romantic". Musically, the album has a bit of lo-fi sound (as if it were recorded in someone's front room), which present some powerful immediacy, but in places the raw sounding production doesn't always benefit the ornate chamber pop arrangements. Still, a powerful record, especially the ace title track.