Katydids
Lights Out (Read My Lips) (Reprise 21732)

I just put this on after listening to Joy Division and my first reaction was: "Where'd the low end go!?"

One day, I hope, there will be a melodic pop revival and people will rediscover bands like Squeeze, Jellyfish, the Posies, and, whoa yeah, Katydids. These guys were a little too late to be bigger than the Bangles, a little too early to make Sixpence None the Richer deservedly all the poorer. The band they remind me of most, and I mean it as a compliment, is Katrina & the Waves. Better songs though.

Lights Out was the single off Katydids, the band's underrated debut. It's not the best song off the album ("Girl in a Jigsaw Puzzle" would have been a stronger single, if in fact it wasn't), but it's effervescent and charming in a way that the current crop of Top 40 robots never approach. Is it cool? No. But it's good.

Two fine b-sides, "Disappointed" (which easily could have been on the album) and the wistful, ghostly "Another August Night," plus an ultra-satisfying acoustic version of "Lights Out" – admittedly, I'm a sucker for the ol' acoustic version.

I await the day when the Raspberries are spoken of with reverence and Katydids get some real props, a la Big Star. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for the time when musicians got signed for talent rather than "star power."

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by La Fée