Beach Slang
"A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings"
(Polyvinyl (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK))
In a Beach Slang song, everything is at stake, all the time. "Play it loud, play it fast, play me something that will always last," James Alex sings on the opening "Future Mixtape for the Art Kids." "Play it tough, play it quiet, play me something that might save my life." Beach Slang is often compared to the Replacements, the brilliant 1980s Minneapolis train wreck who are back in fashion thanks to Bob Mehr's highly recommended "Trouble Boys" biography.
That makes plenty of sense, considering the Philadelphia band's ragged, openhearted approach and penchant for covering 'Mats songs live. But though Beach Slang has demonstrated an appetite for self-destruction _ it broke up onstage at a gig this year, then reunited within the week _ Alex's songs tend to be more clear-cut arguments for the healing power of rock and roll than doubt-ridden Paul Westerberg could ever muster. Which means this bracing, just under 30-minute-long follow-up to last year's acclaimed breakthrough "The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us" doesn't walk an emotional tightrope with the genius of the band's heroes. But it nonetheless is a powerful statement of undying belief, taking the job of making music that just might save someone's life with the seriousness it deserves.
_Dan DeLuca
