Americana Music Reviews

 

Shurman
Superfecta
Independent
by David Pilot

As four song EP's go, Shurman's Superfecta is a barnburner. The LA band is sold out of hard copies at the moment, but has all four tracks available for download at www.shurmanville.com. Nice to see an up and coming outfit in these trying times of RIAA tyranny include liner notes like these:

"Made in the USA. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is recommended and encouraged."

Nicer still to see them back up the sentiment with free MP3s on their site. Remember when music was about unleashing a force of nature and the mortgage wasn't in the mix? I want to see worthwhile artists get paid, don't get me wrong. But I'm tired of having every existing so-called artist's dire financial straits crammed down my throat and used as a reason I can't go check out a new or arcane band online for free. So for their stance alone a band like Shurman gets my ear. And Aaron Beavers' vocals guarantee they'll keep my attention longer than Eddie Vedder and Co. ever did.

The driving bass line Pearl Jam lived on is present on Superfecta, but as "Drownin'" shows, the sense of melody the grunge bands couldn't smell over all the teen spirit is alive and well post-Cobain. The lyrics stay close to home and mine the crevices of love under neon lights the way they should for a band that's a regular at the Viper Room, but the song itself gets in the head and sticks.

"Impossibilities," on the other hand, delves into the alt.country realm, and the presence of producer Andrew Williams (Old 97s) keeps the mix of rough-and-tumble metropolitan angst and fashionably beat-up cowboy hats just right. Beavers' throaty vocals threaten and charm simultaneously, while Rich Mahan's lead guitar explodes with color across a melody that evokes the best of the Stones honky-tonk explorations.

"She's the One" brings back the sort of good-time full-band harmony vocals we haven't heard since Van Halen, and does it with a percussion line and upbeat guitar work that woulda made David Lee Roth proud. Great radio fare for a top down joyride down the Pacific Coast Highway.

"Everyone Needs Someone" returns to the alt.country mode, but in a Jay Farrar fronts the Wallflowers at a Hootie tribute show sort of way. It turns out better than that makes it sound, and for a Saturday night beer and mini-skirt expedition it makes one hell of a soundtrack.

Shurman's just the sort of band radio loves, though they haven't made it onto your dial much just yet. Still, for upbeat infectious rock-pop with a strong country undercurrent (there's some lap steel in these tracks that adds just the right touch when it counts) this band's tough to beat. Nothing earth-shaking in the lyrics yet, but then sometimes when the sound and feel are just right the words aren't the point anyway. There's another Shurman disc out there, with info, lyrics and MP3s also available at the website noted above. Worth your time to check out a band that really just wants to be heard, and as luck would have it, is actually worth your listen.

Contact David Pilot at: tailgunner-at-rockzilla.net

 
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