The second "What If It Works?" review

Kim Cooper of Scram wrote this review for issue #22 of her mag. I hope to have real (not just home-burned CD-Rs) promo copies available to reviewers next month. By the way, Kim notes that the covers "might miff fans hungry for new originals"; that's why I hassled the boys to come up with two extra (original) tracks, beefing up the CD's running time from 30 to 40 minutes. This review convinces me that my instincts were correct; thanks, Kim!

Six years on from Attractive Nuisance and the brilliant, self-effacing Scott Miller returns with a revamped Loud Family, now something of a Go-Betweens-styled partnership with singer-songwriter Anton Barbeau. By kicking off with a punchy, new wave take on the Stones' "Rocks Off," it's immediately clear that Miller+Barbeau are a real band, not a wooden one, and the record is strong and playful straight through. Following close is Miller's reflexive "Song About 'Rocks Off,'" just the sort of twitchy, nostalgic, brainiac pop of which he's master. Barbeau's lush, twining tunes and adenoidal tones are good company for Miller's, and the sole co-written number ("Kind Of) In Love" is more than kinda swell. The title song, by Barbeau, feels like a sweet, high-energy update of Bowie's "Kooks." Covers of the Zombies' "Remember You" and a proggy take on Cat Stevens' "I Think I See the Light" are charming, but might miff fans hungry for new originals. Still, a most welcome and overdue return.