aberdeen
"Homesick And Happy To Be Here"
(Better Looking Records)

Think back to 1988. Johnny Marr has just left The Smiths and is looking for
a new challenge without the adroit yet tyrannical leadership of Morrissey.
A fellow Manchester outfit just getting started and under the moniker of The
Sundays catches Marr's eye and he joins the fledgling group after listening
to the wispy voice of lead singer Harriet. The rest is history, right?

Unfortunately not, as Marr went on to numerous side projects such as
Electronic and a short stint with The The, while Harriet and the rest of The
Sundays kept the Manchester vibe alive and made a little noise in Euro and
US charts with their blend of pop and earthiness. Imagine what might have
happened had the two combined forces?

The result would be "Homesick And Happy To Be Here," the latest effort from
Southern California-gone-to-England act aberdeen. Over a year in the
making, the album is a pinnacle for the duo/quintet from the Long Beach
area. Beth and John, the two principal members, last cut music a decade
ago. Sadly, the private matters of maintaining a personal relationship as
well as a working one was too much. After two brilliant and blissful EPs,
they split. Luckily, time sometimes heals, and so do working relationships.
With a revamped lineup that includes Johnny (no, not Marr), Brian, and
Kelly, aberdeen attempts a comeback this year with the aptly titled
"Homesick." We, the listeners, are the beneficiaries.

Stylized pop melodies are the order of the day. Jangly, Marr-like guitar
work by John and breathy, beautiful vocals by Beth integrate seamlessly into
the work done by the trio of musicians accompanying them on this outing.
Johnny shows her multi-instrumental talents by playing bass, drums, and
guitar alternately on several of the tracks. Brian and Kelly stick with
drums and keyboards and provide the gorgeous musical scenery for the album.

"Handsome Drink" kicks off the set and immediately calls to mind the
"Manchester Sound" made popular by stalwarts The Smiths, New Order, and
James. Fleshy guitar rings in the foreground while more earthy tones such
as hand-claps by the band and backing vocals by John bring up the rear.
"Sink Or Float" has indie single written all over it, as the lyrics and the
music seem so natural. On "Sunny In California" the band brings freeway
driving mixed with melancholy to a new level as the wispy vocals by Beth
intersperse with the laid back, yet frenetic, pop overtones. "Thousand
Steps" is a break from the upbeat pop and goes one step beyond as it
incorporates the trumpet (played by Raoul de la Cruz) in a moody move that
would make Burt Bacharach proud in its effectiveness at slowing the tempo to
a poignant ballad soaked in regret. "That Cave, That Moon" rounds out the
ten-song set and elicits a sense of completeness to a record that has
already shot the lights out. This finale starts acoustically and soft and
crescendos to a feedback-infused wall of sound that would fit in at any
Oasis concert.

Lyrically, the album would sound dark in the hands of any other artist. The
anguish of failed and rekindled relationships notwithstanding, the lyrics
present an upbeat take on love, relationships, life, and how to live it.

"Homesick and Happy To Be Here" is a fun, happy, and energetic record that
can easily make you forget the faux-angst ridden complaint rock and sappy
bubble gum music that pervades the airwaves today. A decade is a long time,
but this is real pop, the way that it was intended to be.

-Jim Duke