Neverever
Slumberland Records SLR 117
2010
I first became aware of this band when I caught them opening for Veronica Falls at the Bootleg Theater several years ago. I loved their set. Lead vocalist Jihae Meek was extremely charismatic and put on a great show. Afterward I wasn't sure how good the music really was though, I might have just been swayed by the theatrics. So eventually I bought their debut album to see if they were as good as I remembered. The short answer is "not really" but I like the album anyway. All but one of the songs were written by Meek and her guitarist husband Wallace Meek. They are mostly retro in style and content as is immediately evident in the opening track "Here Is Always Somewhere Else." It begins with the melodramatic sound of thunderclaps and rain before lurching into a lovely romantic ballad that could have been recorded by Timi Yuro if she knew some guys with jangly guitars. "Blue Genes" increases the tempo but remains rooted in the girl group era sound although I can't recall any early 60s group ever singing about incest. The song is indeed about a brother and sister who are in love with each other. It was originally recorded as a single by the Meeks' previous group, The Champagne Socialists. "Coconut Shampoo" is an ultra-poppy rocker about horny teenagers. The Beach Boys style oohs in the chorus put the song over for me. "Now" is a cover of the Plimsouls' classic song. Neverever slows down the song and mutes the rocking edge of the original making the song sound prettier and more romantic. I would not say that I prefer it to the original, but this version suits Meek's voice extremely well and she delivers a winning performance. "Young Runaways" mixes New Wave power pop and girl group vocals to deliver another ode to teenage lust and cruising. It was originally the b-side of The Champagne Socialists' single. Side two begins with the oddball "Cowboys and Indians" about cowboy and Indian lovers on a murderous rampage. This rocking song is driven by dense percussion reminiscent of Bow Wow Wow. "16th Wonder" is a dramatic shift in tone and style. It is a romantic song about teenage heartache featuring jangly guitar and Laena Myers-Ionita's lovely violin lines. It gives Meek a great opportunity to showcase her vocal ability. Rock and roll vulgarity returns full force with "Bitch Boys" which is silly fun. The verses of "Teardrop Tattoo" sound like they were lifted from "A Teenager in Love" by Dion and the Belmonts and the ooh-wee-oohs in the break are straight doo-wop. Meek sings about being threatened with murder by a jealous boyfriend although she seems surprisingly okay with it, even describing it as "true romance." "Young and Dumb" sounds like Lesley Gore crossed with Motown. As you can probably guess from the title it is another tale of ill-fated teenage love. The album concludes with "Underwater Ballet" which is about a guy drowning himself in the ocean for love who changes his mind a little too late. It is a driving, pounding song with a thick sound that reminds me of Best Coast. I love 1960s pop, Motown and girl groups so I have no problem with Neverever's derivative sound, I just wish the songs were more memorable. I enjoy all of them while I'm listening but very few of them stick with me after the record is over. "Now" is easily the best song on the album and they didn't write it. I do appreciate the cleverness of the lyrics and Meek's singing is very appealing which is reason enough for me to give the album an occasional spin. Recommended to fans of the Pipettes.
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