With so many artists out there and so many records to hear, and so little time in which to listen to it all, an artist who delivers consistently great music is worth his or her weight in gold. And in the power pop community, very few artists fit this bill as Cliff Hillis does. From his work in Starbelly (whose brilliant 2002 release Everyday and Then Some deserves a spot in the Top 20 power pop discs of the decade) and Ike to his high-quality solo work, Hillis is a known quantity, and his brand new solo disc The Long Now is another feather in his cap.
All of what I said above means that I'd buy his records sight unseen (or hearing unheard I guess), making the rest of this review superfluous for those familiar with his work, but for the uninitiated or those who have overlooked him, Hillis' sound is the golden mean of power pop - punchy enough to satisfy fans of Fountains of Wayne or Cheap Trick, but melodic enough to satisfy fans of Squeeze, Michael Carpenter and Paul McCartney. The rollicking, acoustic-based "She Sees" opens the track in "I've Just Seen a Face" territory, and it's followed by the brilliant "Never Understand", an electric guitar-heavy melodic gem that recalls his Starbelly days. By the time "Elevator" rolls around three tracks in, you're left to marvel at how effortless his sound seems as another near-perfect melody wafts through your speakers. And the rest of the album lives up to the standards - "Northern Lights" rocks with grace; "Follow You Anywhere" is more bright pop; "Like an Island" is positively majestic; and "All For The Sake" has a laid-back, country-rock-pop sound that reminds me of Carpenter and Bryan Estepa.
When the year-end list rolls around, there may be only be one digit in front of the period on this one, and make sure you pick it up through Not Lame or Kool Kat, where you get a bonus EP of 6 songs that include tribute tracks (including a cover of McCartney's "This One") and his contest-winning Chili's baby back ribs jingle.
Not Lame | Kool Kat | MySpace | Listen at Lala
Hillis actually didn't play on that particular Starbelly album, I don't think. I'm pretty sure he left the band sometime between their 1998 debut and "Everyday and Then Some."
ReplyDeleteI second your overall recommendation of Hillis, though, and I would especially add that his work as guitarist in the John Faye Power Trip and Ike is well worth attention. While anything John Faye does is fantastic--I recommend his entire catalog wholeheartedly--Cliff Hillis was the greatest musical foil to Faye's lyrical and songwriting strengths, and he slathered 3 of their discs (the JFPT album, plus Ike's "Parallel Universe" and "In Real Life" albums) with his tasty and distinctive guitar leads.
It's a great album. I ordered it as soon as I got the email from notlame saying it was available. Just like you I knew his work is going to be good so I just got it.
ReplyDeleteI find that the abundance of acoustic guitars and general "mellow" feel of the disk are going to make it a great "Sunday morning" album.
I am going to check this out! Sounds right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteBryan Ford
the favorites