By Donzig
The Connells, led by brothers Mike and David Connell, debuted in 1984 with the jangly Darker Days (the reissue was reviewed here back in May). Their sophomore effort, 1987's Boylan Heights, was a mainstay of our late Eighties play selection at the University of Md. Record Co-Op, where blog host Glenn and I worked at the time. Produced by the legendary Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Let's Active, Game Theory, Pavement, Helium), this indie-pop gem remains their best album, and a defining document of what constituted superb American college rock in the era. In a year when The Smiths and Lloyd Cole & the Commotions were still together and R.E.M., New Order and Love & Rockets (among others) were in their prime, Boylan Heights managed to capture our attention.
After that masterpiece, The Connells became better known with their follow-up releases Fun & Games (1989), One Simple Word (1990), and Ring (1993). They also achieved greater success with hook-driven power-pop tunes such as "Slackjawed", "Get a Gun", "Stone Cold Yesterday" (the title of their fine 2016 compilation CD), "Fun & Games", and their biggest hit '74 - '75". With these songs and a few others, all featuring lilting vocals and catchy guitar riffs, The Connells helped provide welcome relief in the early Nineties from the grunge-wannabes who seemed to dominate Alternative Rock radio back then.
Younger music listeners may not have heard of The Connells, given their 20-year absence from the recording studio, but they will find hints of what made them dear to those of us who were around in the Eighties and Nineties here on the band's new record, Steadman's Wake. Old fans of their brand of indie and power pop will find a few songs here to remind them of old times, such as the opener "Really Great", the chiming "Burial Art", "Stars", a down-tempo number, and, most of all, "Universal Glue", one of this album's real highlights. The bulk of Steadman's Wake, however, has a more wistful feel to it. The best of these more somber tunes, "Rusted Fields", is about a lost way of life. The title song, a cynical take on "Lost Cause" sympathizers, is another standout track.
Steadman's Wake is out today on Missing Piece Records.
[Photo: Bryan Regan]