Thursday, August 14, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

CDVS

As far as iconic record labels go, the Baby Boomer generation had Motown and Generation X had Sub Pop. Thanks to its discovery of Nirvana and its proximity to grunge's ground zero, the Seattle-based label flourished with acts such as Mudhoney, the Afghan Whigs and Sunny Day Real Estate, to name a few. However, for most of the mid- to late '90s, Sub Pop suffered from a pop backlash and waning interest in the DIY/indie ethic that was so in vogue during the Teen Spirit era.

Now, 2003 sees a reinvigorated Sub Pop, armed with quite the arsenal of compelling artists--so much so, a handful of them are garnering mainstream radio airplay. Hot Hot Heat is the label's bonafide breakout act, with its hot "Bandages." Who's the next candidate to further Sub Pop's resurgence?

It might just be Pleasure Forever, the San Francisco-based trio formerly of VSS and Slaves renown. Its second album, Alter, is a deliriously fun treasure chest of nuggets, cohesive in its tuneful consistency and varied in its stylistic eccentricity. Most notably, there's a good deal of baroque and cabaret flavor here--more so than Marilyn Manson's recent stabs at old school camp 'n' vamp--highlighted by underlying gothic elements, glam playfulness, swing-era drum beats and ragtime piano melodies. Nominations for radio submission: "White Mare," "Czarina" and "Tempest II."

Then there's the Postal Service, which actually has landed some random airplay for its "Such Great Heights," one of the more upbeat and radio-friendly tracks from its acclaimed debut, Give Up. It's hard to imagine the act's sparse '80s-leaning, easy-on-the-ears electronic pop getting the airplay of the more rocking Interpol or Hot Hot Heat. But there's something compulsively listenable about the duo, made up of synthesizer maestro Jimmy Tamborello (head of Dntel) and singer Ben Gibbard (leadman of Death Cab for Cutie), who traded CD-Rs by snail mail until 10 songs emerged. Tracks like "Clark Gable" and "Brand New Colony" are as enchanting as the CMJ crowd gets.

The Postal Service has the leg up, given it's had a few more months of momentum, fawning press, touring and, now, radio crusading. That said, don't count out Pleasure Forever, weird enough to be cool and fun enough to grab the summer radio festival crowd.--Mike Prevatt