Coming Clean – The Favorite Things (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

I’m pretty sure there is something in the rules about this sort of thing. You mention The Replacements in the press release and of course it is going to go straight into the “to be reviewed” pile, no instant guarantee given the amount of CD’s that seem to be coming through the post these days. Okay then, not cheating just a clever use of PR. Mention the R word and you know that a certain breed of music scribbler is going to be hooked. So why exert myself too much over digital links or  that stack of bands in the “maybe” pile who’s ultimate goal is to sound like Oasis (why?) when I can give a real record made by Replacement’s devotees a physical spin.

And I ‘m glad I did. I guess you know pretty much what you are going to find given where their heart lies, melodic yet scuzzy alt-rock (but referencing music from before alt-rock was a thing) tempered with some alt-country vibes (see alt-rock) and a whole dose of melody, urgency, drive and drama.

It would be very easy to go down this route too reverentially, to plunder the sound and style too closely and come away having made an album that sounds like out takes or a tribute to The Replacements. But The Favorite Things are cleverer than that and instead they have made an album that comes from the same place, has similar influences and talks the same language both lyrically and musically as their cities most famous gutter poet-kings but still very much justifies its own existence.

It is because of this and their ability to write songs with more hooks than a Peter Pan convention that Coming Clean more than just a nod to past glories but is both a statement in its own right and a standalone album that is as much about where it is coming from as where it is going.