REVIEW: New Americans, New Americans (Fufkin)
- Bill Holmes
The cover photo is a dead ringer for the cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends album, which is a pretty ballsy statement for any duo to make. Fortunately, the liner notes quickly tell you that Dan Touhy and Casey Fundaro are merely guys who were tremendously influenced by classic pop songwriters like Simon, Bacharach, Brian Wilson and Gram Parsons. They also admire contemporary artists like Jeff Tweedy, Bill Lloyd, and Matthew Sweet. While that's admirable, Touhy and Fundaro are not playing in that league. However, they do write gentle pop melodies that call to mind bands like America, Bread and The Carpenters. Lyrically, they're smack dab into that introspective era, with eight songs about lost love, found love, and the search for meaning in one's life.
That's not to say this is a coffeehouse special. Occasionally there's a nice burst -- "Lookin' Down" is given life by Neil Young-ish guitar and harmonica; "So Alone" has the "Chestnut Mare" chord progression as the skeleton of its chorus, and "Comin' To An End" also mines Byrds territory. The leadoff track, "Anna," might be just perky enough to be a hit in better hands. But despite the light arrangements, the lead vocals rarely rise above coffeehouse level, and that's just not enough to make anything here truly special. (http://www.fufkin.com)
