Over the course of a couple decades,
Matt Rendon
has quietly assembled a catalog of great garage rock-meets-power pop albums under the name
the Resonars
. Working in his Arizona home studio he single-handedly crafted albums on a trusty four-track recorder, getting a sound that's lo-fi but has all the punch that's often lacking from a traditionally made album.
No Exit
is another great record that combines the walloping power of
the Who
with the instant hooks of
the Creation
and the guitar overload of
the Raspberries
, topping with the insistent vocals and lush harmonies of groups like
Shoes
or
the Rubinoos
.
is a little different than most
Resonars
albums since
Rendon
brought in members of his live band to play on some songs.
Johnnie Rinehart
plays drums on half the tracks,
Ricky Schimo
plays bass on a song, and
even lets
Travis Spillers
take lead vocals on the snappy,
Motown
-inspired "Gotta Get Out" since it's out of his range. Despite the presence of these interlopers -- and the small improvements
made to his studio --
is another home-cooked, perfectly baked album that fits right in with previous albums. It's loaded with brilliant songs, from the jangly
Byrds
-ian "Days Fade Away" and heart-tugging minor-key ballad "Dull Today" to the pulse-quickening power pop rush of "Louise Tonight" and the beat-group peppy "Fell Into a World."
claims to have had something akin to writer's block -- which helps to account for the many-year gap between
records -- but by the time the tapes were rolling it's clear he had conquered it. He certainly was in full control of the sound, too. Each song has an immediateness that's welcome in an age of gauzy production techniques, the arrangements are simple but powerful, and the guitars have a majestic crunch and chime that is hard to get at any price point.
seems unable to put a wrong foot forward, and even after doing basically the same thing for so many years,
have yet to sound even a little tired.
can be counted among their best work, which is saying a lot. ~ Tim Sendra