Selby Tigers: Charm City

Label: Hopeless
Release Date: 2000
Review Date: 2001

I haven’t been this excited about a new band and a record since Smogtown came out with Fuhrers of the New Wave. From the opening few seconds of Triple Americana, you know it’s going to be good. The name may be reminiscent of an English football club, but these four hail from Saint Paul Minnesota. Their ranks culled from various local bands, they’ve been around in some form or other since 1998. Musically, they’ve got a definite retro feel. It’s simplistic power-pop-punk, but the thing that sets it apart from the multitudes of johnny-come-latelys is the intelligence and often obscurity of the lyrics. Take “Geometry is a Lie.” It’s a brilliant song title if ever there was one, and the rest of the lyrics don’t slouch as compared to the title. There are some tracks like “In Bed” that don’t seem to make a lot of sense, but are still enjoyable despite the fact that even they don’t know what an “ergonomic highchair” is. Some bands fall in the trap of writing lots of nonsensical or esoteric lyrics and use that as their main appeal, but the Selby Tigers have the content to back it up. An example is the track “Flashbars”, which is a tight little masterpiece that approaches the emotional equivalent your favorite Descendents pop songs. The main recurring theme in Charm City is the punk rock archetype of thinking for yourself. “Droid” and “A Robot’s Perspective” come closest to a kinder, gentler Jello Biafra telling you to punch your boss instead of punching the clock.

The Selby Tigers have a unique sound. Vocal duties are shared across the board by this three man, one woman combo. The overall package is a sharp one that is reflected by the design of Charm City as well as their ancillaries. The video for “Droid” is good example. It’s set in a karaoke bar with the band members appearing in the monitor while various scenesters and hip nerds get their groove on. It’s low budget but fun, which fits. For more information, you can try their web site (doesn’t appear to be working) or that Hopeless Records. It has a bio, mp3’s and a video, t-shirts, singles, etc. Go buy this record now.

Online Action: selbytigers.com
Online Action: hopelessrecords.com

Selbt Tigers: PO box 7495 Van Nuys Ca, 91409-7495