REVIEW: Tommy Keene, Isolation Party (Matador)
- Joann D. Ball
Power pop reigns supreme on Isolation Party , the latest release from pop guru Tommy Keene. The follow-up to his first album for Matador Records, 1995's Ten Years After, Keene's second release is a well-crafted pop music delight. Infused with the same heaping portions of melody, textured guitars and upbeat tempos found on his other four critically aclaimed albums, Isolation Party also contains Keene's simple but honest brand of songwriting. And Keene's heartfelt emotions are present in all of the thirteen tracks here, which faithfully echo the spirit of such pop royalty as the Who, Cheap Trick and Big Star.
Keene starts the party with "Long Time Missing" and keeps it going with "Getting Out From Under You" Both are perfect road trip songs, irresistible uptempo tunes with straight ahead guitars and a solid beat which will get you drumming on the dashboard in seconds flat. "Take Me Back" is a bit slower than the first two, but still marked by Keene's distinctive vocals and ringing and chiming guitars. Other notable tracks here include "The World Outside," with its classic Keene harmonies and interweaving lead guitar, "Battle Lines," and "Waiting Without You." And for good measure, Keene also throws in a cover of Mission of Burma's "Einstein's Day," on which his guitar solos take flight over solid power chords.
For those unfamiliar with Keene, his distinctive sound has influenced such fans as Teenage Fan Club, Wilco and the Gin Blossoms. In fact, Wilco's Jay Bennet and Jeff Tweedy make an appearance here along with former Blossom guitarist Jesse Venezuela. Keene is also connected to two other rock contemporaries, writing most of the material on this CD between tours as guitarist with former Replacements' leader Paul Westerberg and Velvet Crush. Like the woefully ignored popster Adam Schmitt, who has worked with Keene on previous efforts and assists with the mastering and editing here, Keene has chosen to craft this pop offering largely by himself. Keene recorded most of the instruments and produced the sessions on his own, and spent a lot of time in the state of Illinois during the process. In addition to working with the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois based Schmitt, Keene recorded Isolation Party upstate, in the Zion studio of underground pop heroes the Shoes.
The critically acclaimed Keene should have taken American radio by storm in the mid-eighties, but unfortunately Rolling Stone Magazine's prediction didn't anticipate the label problems at Geffen which stalled Keene's power pop revolution. But more than ten years after, Keene continues to produce pop masterpieces and has developed a small but dedicated following Stateside and an even bigger fan base in Japan and Europe. Tommy Keene has more than paid his dues, so hopefully Isolation Party will finally do the trick and give him the widespread radio airplay and exposure that he has so long deserved.
This is Keene's most commercially accessible record since 1989's brilliant, but grossly ignored, Based on Happy Times. Unlike that last Geffen effort, though, Isolation Party is much more stripped down, revealing the natural elements of Keene's signature power pop. With few studio touches and excellent production, the addictive blend of Keene's melodies, harmonies, chiming guitars, steady bass and solid beats make Isolation Party one you'll wanna crash again and again. For more information about the host and when the party will be held in your town, check out the Matador Records website at http://www.matador.recs.com
