Pure Tone Music
2006
For The Masses
About This Album
Singer-guitarist-songwriter Josh Verbanets tries to take his noise-pop band the You away from noise and closer to pop for most of the Pittsburgh group's debut disc, some of which was produced by Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine). Deck's influence from those clients comes through heavily on this record, particularly on "Bad Person," a track very similar to Modest Mouse's "The World at Large" from Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The results are sometimes pleasant, as with the bells in the arrangement of "Horse Opera," but just as often drained of passion, Verbanets becoming a milquetoasty Ray Davies clipped-diction observer of the action. Indeed, For the Masses has a strong early-Kinks feel to it, especially on the jaunty highlights "End of an Era," "Broken Down Storefront," and "Thrown from a Moving Vehicle," but it doesn't rock convincingly when it rocks, and though nothing's off-putting, nothing's terribly memorable. ~ Joseph McCombs, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,2,5,6 and 11)

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