Rock Ridge Music
2007
Postcards From California
About This Album
For those unfamiliar with Austin-based quartet 54 Seconds, the band takes a bit of explaining. Their frontman, Spencer Gibb, presents himself (deliberately or not) like a singer/songwriter, a trait that his and Luis Guerrero's co-production plays up, as they lavish attention on his vocals. But 54 Seconds are not a solo act, and the rest of the bandmembers are equally crucial to the sound. Rachel Loy's sweet backing vocals provide a foil both to Gibb's own as well as her bandmates. Her bass, in conjunction with Jeff Botta's strong drums, offers more than an excellent backbone to the songs; on numbers like "I Wish I Was a Girl" and "Pocket Full of Numbers" its her bassline that reigns supreme. And then there's keyboardist Stewart Cochran, the wild card in this pack, the man who sets the musical moods, and whose awesome stylistic versatility is the linchpin of 54 Seconds' sound. His work on "New World" is astounding, as he deftly slips from ambience-laden passages into pomp rock, dips into new wave, then sprinkles the song with jazzy runs, as he agilely moves back and forth between styles. He douses "Girl" in orchestral strings, then reaches a lavish apotheosis on the psychedelic-laced, Beatlesque "Breathing.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,4,7,8,9 and 10)

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