Katydids
Katydids (Reprise 26146)

I'm possibly the only one who cares at all about Katydids. Aside from a surprising number of (mainly Japanese) websites devoted to songs of katydids (the insect), there seems to be no web presence at all for the songs of Katydids (the forgotten early 90s pop band). Insect Sound World is great fun, certainly, but I like Katydids more than katydids, since Katydids sing in English, while katydids only sing in insect. Actually, Katydids also sing in Japanese on one track from their debut album Katydids, so perhaps that's one thing that the two musical artists have in common.

Lost? Me too. I'll keep going anyway. Led by (American) Susie Hug, Katydids were a British band who played good ol' pop from the heart, stuff like the Hollies used to do, or Squeeze, or 10,000 Maniacs at their most cheery.

This disc (one of two the band released) was produced by Nick Lowe, who was the perfect person for the job, now that I think of it. Several of the songs recall the "Cruel to Be Kind" era of late 70s/early 80s pop, when ringy Beatle chords and ear-candy harmonies were still A-OK. Nowadays you have some groups that do this sort of thing (Fountains of Wayne, for example) but usually it sounds much more like clever craft than anything truly heartfelt. But Katydids sounded like they meant it, owing strongly to Hug's earnest and pure vocals and lyrics that don't get lost trying to be overly "smart."

Perhaps I don't really like Beatley pop bands unless they have female singers. Well, whatever. Katydids was a refreshing bit of jangle that got lost in all the ravin' and rappin' of the very early 90s. This kind of studied, constructed pop music will never really go out of style, but always seems to be overshadowed by whatever the "new thing" happens to be, as declared by myopic rock critics (who always go for controversy, image, and hype over simply excellent songwriting). Not aggressive or broody or in any way notorious, this record seeks only to give you those private little delights that only a good pop song can deliver.

Sixpence None the Richer proved (in a much more cheesy way) that there will always be an audience for competent, catchy pop that isn't trying to be more than it is. This album has some nice standouts ("Girl in a Jigsaw Puzzle," "Lights Out," "Growing Old") and nothing that you could call bad (except maybe the limp "Dr. Rey" – I'm not sure it's possible to write a song with "Dr." in the title that isn't lame, except for possibly the "Lotsa Dr. Pop" jingle, which doesn't exist but, should).

Susie Hug is appropriately named, with her comfortable, clean, and pretty voice that has zero edge to it, yet instantly stands out from the crowd. The band is guitar-bass-drums pop like you like it. Nothing incredibly sticky about this CD, but it's contagious and seductive, especially when you start hearing the darker undertones of Hug's lyrics, as in the nice "King of the World" ("If I were king of the world/I would make sure everyone hurt/See my face wherever they turned").

Actually, I just looked at the lyric sheet and found that the lyric is "heard," not "hurt." Guess there's not too much darkness here after all. Well, even so, this is sunshiny pop with good vocals. Do you need something else? Go ahead and enjoy your damn Fountains of Wayne, you can have my portion.

I loved this CD ten years ago and still like it now, though now I hear it more like a soundtrack for a romantic comedy starring Lisa Kudrow and Tobey Maguire as rival zoo owners who fall in love, as do their pet chimpanzees. I bet if this album were released now it would have a better shot.

I'd love to meet a diehard Katydids fan, but I don't think they're out there. Too bad. If you see one of their discs (the follow-up Shangri-La is even better) in a used CD shop sometime, grab it. You'll be surprised they never "went places."

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by La Fée