Review Submitted Feb 2005 by K. Chicoine to Net-Zines
Fufkin.com
Earcandy.com <-- up now!
Newspapertaxi.net
This review is rough copy and will be edited and reposted when published:
MODERN DATING TIPS
(reviewer - Kerry Chicoine)
"The debut album by long-time Los Angeles musician/songwriter Jensen Bell --
called "Modern Dating Tips", incidentally – will be, in all likelihood, an
instant classic in the oft-uninspired power-pop genre. Fans of the Three B's -
Beatles, Beach Boys and Big Star - will certainly find the music comprising
"Modern Dating Tips" to be thoroughly entertaining - if not downright comforting
-- for all of the hallmarks of classic power-pop are present and accounted for:
jangling 12-string guitars, effervescent vocal melodies, and lots of lovely,
layered background vocal harmonies, all driven by a pulsing backbeat.
To call it "catchy" would be an understatement; to call it "inspired" would be much closer
to the truth.
Jensen Bell has had a long history of hands-on involvement in the Los Angeles
power-pop scene, having formed the buzz-band The Bell Starlings
(featuring the everywhere-at-once Robbie Rist on bass and former Muff Jim
Laspesa on drums) during the heyday of the Bubblegum Crisis/Poptopia madness of
the mid-1990's, and before that writing, recording, touring, and performing with
several notable bands (including previous buzz-band The Rails, Chris Cacavas,
Chuck E. Weiss, and Maria McKee, among others), with varying degrees of success
and recognition. Tours in Europe, miscellaneous recording projects -- even a
stint as a music instructor -- kept Jensen Bell busy in the ensuing years, yet
he remained artistically unfulfilled, nurturing an unrelenting desire to write
The Great Power Pop Album he knew was lurking somewhere deep inside.
That album, waiters and gentlemen, is finally here.
Over much of the past two years, Bell conceived and recorded "Modern Dating
Tips" at the now-legendary Lincoln Lounge in Venice, California, engineered and
co-produced with behind-the-scenes maestro Steve Refling (Cockeyed Ghost, Davie
Allen, Receiver, Stew, The Andersons!). The album is a triumph of melodic
imagination, confidently staying well within the established guidelines of
post-Beatles power-pop, yet embellishing these admittedly simplistic art-form
limitations with interesting, unexpected chord progressions and great leaps of
melody, performed with passion, inspiration, and total finesse.
The album is a song-cycle of sorts (some might call it a "concept" album)
detailing the finer aspects of the trials and tribulations of dating. Lyrically,
Bell really reaches out and takes chances, as some of the scenarios detailed on
"Modern Dating Tips" are quite personal and revealingly intimate. Most people
will easily relate to the feelings - which can range from crippling confusion to
sky-spiraling exhilaration – that often go hand-in-hand when attempting a
connection with the object of one's desire. It makes for quite an interesting
listening experience, with Bell never taking a heavy-handed approach, instead
letting his well-crafted lyrics speak for themselves.
Some of the musical highlights in this collection of stand-out tracks include
the Tom Petty-esque opener "Asking You Out", the humorously upbeat duet with
main Muff Kim Shattuck ("Happy Chocolate"), and the pistol-whipping "Possible
Jane Situation", with its' clever lyrics and relentlessly jangling guitar hooks.
Mention must be made of the gorgeous album closer, the magnificent McCartney-esque
"Love Stained Eyes". Sounding like a long-lost George Martin "Revolver"-era
production, "Love Stained Eyes" details the sad reality of a relationship doomed
to failure. A gorgeous string arrangement paints a musical picture of regret and
melancholy, mirroring the sadness and regret of the lyrics; underneath, a
plaintive piano melody provides a foundation for Bell's evocative, yearning
vocals. Truly a spine-chilling moment, one of many to be found within this
album.
All in all, "Modern Dating Tips" is an amazingly cohesive musical and lyrical
debut, one that proves this emerging artist not only has a comprehensive grasp
of the modern melodic rock idiom, but also one able to imprint his own original,
unique spin on the genre. Four out of five
dentists surveyed agree.
February 2005