Album Review

When I was small, I was exposed to a lot of music through the influence of my parents, particularly my father. My affection today for the likes of Billy Joel, the Eagles, Boston, Stevie Wonder and Blue Rodeo is directly traced back to him, as is my openness to all kinds of different musical expressions, including the classical music so beloved by my kin on both sides; having two grandfathers and various uncles who are all classical organists instilled in me a respect for music that, admittedly, took a lot more talent to compose and perform than most of today‘s top forty.

But I digress - my point was that I have a familiarity, respect and love for the music of the past, and so, definitely, do Baby Teeth. Comprised of three Chicagoans who‘ve spent time with The Platonics, The Detholz, Frodus and All City Affairs, the union of frontman Pearly Sweets (seriously, that‘s his name), drummer Peter Andreadis and bassist extraordinaire Jim Cooper has incited frothing excitement among indie nerds and the media who write to them, and though I‘m usually not much for hype of any sort, choosing instead to simply explore for myself, Baby Teeth have got it going on. The wedding-themed album (check the cheesy photo-diary/wedding cake artwork!) evokes memories of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Billy Joel and Bob Seger, to name a few, but as opener ‘Mighty Time‘ begins, Sweets‘ vocal similarity to The Guess Who‘s Burton Cummings is immediately apparent, a classic pop croon that hooks all within earshot. ‘Mighty Times‘ also includes a bridge harmony that‘s completely anachronistic, but works entirely due to the album‘s gloriously un-ironic kitsch factor; this is awesomely retro and instantly memorable, as the best of the last four decades always have been. ‘Celebrity Wedding‘ showcases the first of the ELP-ish keyboard firebombs, while ‘Loving Strokes‘ remembers the 1970s output of Billy Joel (by far his best).

One of the intriguing things about Baby Teeth is Cooper‘s inventive, explosive bass work; like the slickly-polished hits of yesterday, these songs contain big-time vocals, yes, and classic pop and rock structures, but underneath it all lies the ex-Frodus Cooper, pounding away on a heavily-distorted bass that would have wrecked ‘The Entertainer‘ or ‘American Woman‘. Fourth song ‘Cool Month of June‘ begins the showcase of the fierce, burbling attack Cooper brings, elsewhere displayed on ‘End of Actress‘, ‘Big Trucks‘ and the marvelous funk exercise ‘The Three Sisters‘ - it‘s like Les Claypool (Primus)‘s acrobatics were cross-pollinated with Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine)‘s bruising hiphop influence, and combined with the other Baby Teeth standout - marvelously adept lyrical witticisms - it‘s amazing to hear.

Imagine: a big-haired, van-dwelling hippie somehow winds up fronting an outfit featuring some finger-snapping male backup singers and a crack band, performing at midwestern town-hall weddings in the ‘70s, and you‘re pretty much there with Baby Teeth. By the time the record concludes with the Queen-sounding piano ballad ‘Dynamite Explodes‘, it‘s all over; you‘re hooked. Most kids today won‘t like or care about this even if they should, but those of us old enough to remember the glory days of radio will devour it without reservation.

- Mike Postma

[Baby Teeth online] [Lujo Records]

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