REVIEW: Martin's Dam, Sky Above (Hybrid)
- Bob Gajarsky
More than 10 years ago, when the Philadelphia music scene was threatening to become known in a way that would rival Athens, Georgia and (later) Seattle, a local band named Bricklin was signed to A&M. The scene - and band - was straight-ahead rock and roll, best known for the Hooters but best personified by Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers.
Unfortunately, Bricklin's self-titled debut never took off - Bon Jovi's did, as the world both loved and regretted - and Philadelphia's glitter faded away. The Bricklin brothers kept playing, honing their skills, and hoping for another opportunity at the brass ring.
But that was when Danny Wilde was best known as a writer for other's songs - the Wildes and Great Buildings never having hit the big-time and the Rembrandts still just a figment in the imagination - and bands such as the Gin Blossoms hadn't made the soil fertile. Bonafide harmonious pop-rock music was as hard to find in the mid 80s as a club-bound Jersey girl without a hair full of aerosol spray.
Now ten years later, they've returned in a new band, Martin's Dam (named after a young hangout of the Bricklin brothers, on the outskirts of Philly), with the harmonies, guitars and pop/rock sound still intact.
The Bricklins haven't lost their touch of being able to sing; that was never in doubt. The leadoff (and standout) track, "Fear of Flying", incorporates the two-part vocals that were so special during their last album, with musical accompaniment that clearly owes a debt to the aforementioned Wildes, as well as (on "Thinking Of You") European singer Espen Lind. Other tracks such as "Mercy Blue" and "Julia" show that, just as before, Bricklin doesn't record great songs - they record great albums.
To many, Martin's Dam will be a new experience that might just take the place of the Rembrandts. However, for those who had to search low and high for the self-titled debut disc, it's a hearty 'Welcome back!' to the Bricklin brothers.
