Music Capsule Review

Stands for deciBels/Repercussion (2002)

More

Credits

Release Date: Jan 08, 2002; Lead Performance: The dB's

A-

By Rob Brunner

Like a fidgety Big Star, this North Carolina-by-way-of-Manhattan cult band sets teen-angst themes to an adult pop sound, mixing new-wave nervous energy with surprisingly sophisticated songcraft. Their 1981 debut, Stands for deciBels, is a near-perfect album, with co-singer-songwriters Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple turning in such mini-masterpieces as ''I'm In Love'' and ''Tearjerkin''' (Stamey) and ''Black and White'' and ''Big Brown Eyes'' (Holsapple). The 1982 follow-up, Repercussion, is more refined but less fun; its charms can be cheaply appreciated on this welcome single-CD set of both albums.

Posted Feb 08, 2002

More

Music Commentary Chris Willman rates new holiday music | Chris Willman
Download This Download This: August 19, 2005 | Ryan Dombal

Add Your Comments

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. You must have javascript enabled to submit a comment.