Ever since I left my hometown several years ago, I've
been curious to find out what's been happening with indie rock in Philadelphia. I'm so out of the loop, that I didn't even know that local heroes Caterpillar and Moped have gone the way of the the dodo bird. So I was quite pleased to find out that some of the members have picked up the torch with a band called Panama.
What's their forté, you ask? Catchy, upbeat, pop
songs. Fresh, tuneful, jangly guitar rock. It's just not fair what they do on the opening song, "1060." They take a Philly AM radio jingle and turn it into an addicting hook which sticks in your head like Crazy Glue. Other standouts
include the dynamic "Automatic," the sing along "Athletics," the bouncy "In-Transit," and "Glacier Girl," with its triumphant finale. Panama also manage to imbue the record with a hefty sense of humour without
turning the whole thing into a meaningless farce.
The Philadelphia Tri-State area is the central theme, to the extent that Panama come off as musical purveyors of local history. So if Philly's your thing, check this
out - you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find a record with
more direct references to the city. "It's great
'cause everybody hates it," Gram sings. He's right
about everyone hating it. And if you're not
from Philly, but just looking for a good new pop
record, pick it up. It's not a consistent 100% kick
in the ass, but almost every one of the fifteen songs
is a winner. Even for the A's.
If you like Panama, check out:
Elvis Costello Get Happy!
Moped It Won't Sound Any Better Tomorrow
Caterpillar Peace, Love, Happiness
The Feelies Crazy Rhythms
The Pixies Bossanova
Unrest Imperial F.F.R.R.
Pony Cosmovalidator
-- Lars Rosenblum-Sorgenfrei
at a glance...
