By Henry Lipput
From the first time I heard "Catsuit," the wonderfully sweet pop song on SUPER 8's T-T-T-echnicolour Melodies album, all I could think of was Robert Smith in that Cure video dancing around in a, well, catsuit as if he were an original furry. The hero of SUPER 8's "Catsuit" song, however, is trying to do whatever he can to win and keep the one he loves: "Raising a lighthouse for you / Taking a right hook for you / Sticking my leg out for you / Saving my last smoke for you / Wearing a catsuit for you." And all he asks is that she sings for him.
It's just one of the super songs on an album that has the charm of a home-made, one-man-in-a-studio production like Paul McCartney and Emitt Rhodes used to do in the old days. And, except for the word "hip-hop," in the title song, this album could have come out sometime in the 1970s. It may be old school but it's certainly not old hat.
A band version of the album was scheduled to be released in 2003, followed by a tour, but it all fell through; and that version of the album never saw the light of day. This time around, it's just UK-based singer-songwriter TRiP behind the console and playing all of the instruments. He sings in a folky drawl but makes sure we hear every word.
The old-school vibe is apparent right from the start with the mellotron that opens the first track on the album, "Tomorrow's Just Another Day." Things start slowly; and, when it picks up, TRiP adds some Mariachi horns to make something of a musical stew. It sounds terrific, and adding unexpected sounds to what is basically an acoustic template is a recipe he uses throughout the album.
The stew recipe is used again on the album's final track, "My Sweet Baby Jane." As if the title weren't enough of a tip-off, TRiP combines the feel of both JT and VU along with backwards tape sounds, a countrified electric guitar, and some Beatle-y horns to top things off.
The sad and lovely "Just A Serenade," may be about a friend and not a lover -- at least not at this time ("You're like the sister that I never had"). The song has a finger-picked acoustic guitar and some whistling in the middle. "There's no laughter behind this smile / Just a serenade no last goodbyes / You better leave / 'Cause you don't want to see me cry too young / I'll see you around."
Next to "Catsuit," my favorite track on the album is the folk-rocking, full-band sounding "Last Final Cigarette." It's a killer song; and, if TRiP is taking suggestions for a single, it should be this song.
T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies is out now on Futureman Records.
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