The Run for Cover Lovers
The Difficult Nature of Interpersonal Relationships (Rockin' Pussy)
By Andrea Benvenuto
Published: November 18th, 2002 | 11:19am
Kooky yet somewhat respectable, The Run for Cover Lovers sound like what would happen if The B-52's and Mazzy Star spent a few hours in the Love Shack. On their first full-length album, the co-ed Oakland, California quartet creates music that's alternately peaceful enough to accompany a mid-afternoon catnap and peppy enough to get you in the mood for a night of partying.
With titles like "Baby's Got Her Dirty Shoes On" and "Fat Bald Man," a lot of the material on The Difficult Nature is pretty silly. Most of the time, it works. Meaningless lyrics like "You're absolutely sumptuous / If not completely presumptuous" are understated by the band's rockin' retro sound. It does get to be a little too much when bassist Mike Shy joins guitarist and lead singer Beulah Faye on the vocals for some songs; although the male-female dynamic is a good idea, Shy's style is usually too wacky for the listener to take seriously.
The most valuable moments of the album come when Faye is able to soar on her own on tender ballads like "Take Me," "Romeo," and even "The Cute Cook from the Homemade Caf." There's still a touch of frivolity, but it's all in good fun, which seems to be what these Lovers are runnin' for anyway.
Issue #29
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