TRACK OF THE WEEK: "Bird Has Flown" By Connections

A Columbus-by-way-of-Dayton band (or is that reversed?), Connections have been one of my favorite American indie acts for more than a decade. Combining the lo-fi rawk of The Grifters with the pop sense of young Guided By Voices, the band's consistently delivered superb music. With their recent signing to Trouble in Mind Records, the sextet are operating at a new peak, as shown on their newest, Cool Change, reviewed by me here.

"Bird Has Flown" flies in (sorry) today to be our "Track of the Week". Heck, anything off of Cool Change could steal that title, but this one is pretty special. Punchy, yearning, and catchy as hell, it's a tight number, and one that recalls some of the best from the heyday of American college rock. Still, Connections are doing their own thing, on their own terms, and have been for some time now. With this new album, I hope that loads more folks join the Connections team.

Cool Change by Connections is out on Trouble in Mind Records.

[Photo: Michael P. O'Shaughnessy]