Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Grayson Lane - If The Stars Aren't Enough

(Drive-In, 1999)

As far as I can tell, this is the only record released by Grayson Lane, a near-comatose five-piece with a similar lineup to a livelier band called Slumber (as heard on the entertaining Sounds From Psychedelphia time capsule comp). “Memory Man” emulates the sleepiest moments of Yo La Tengo’s career to decent effect, with occasional swells of distorted guitar and decent gal-guy vox, but then it’s full steam ahead with the boredom on side B, where we get a pair of barely-there, voice-and-acoustic, candlelight clunkers. Extra crybaby demerits assessed for including a Nick Drake cover (“Hanging on a Star”). No doubt that this is an easily-forgotten mediocrity; if there’s more Grayson Lane in the bins out there, I ain’t buying.

No comments: