20/20

20/20/Lookout! (Portrait ’79, Portrait ’81, Oglio ’95) Rating: A
For those who of you who missed out on these near-classic albums the first time around, this 2-for-1 reissue should be quite a treat. The band’s greatest asset is their amazing songwriting consistency, and their ability to provide continuously catchy hooks marks these infectious power popsters as something special. A dual guitar attack heavy on the jangle (with many a choice riff), big synths, a bigger beat, and melodic, propulsive bass playing are the major components of a disarmingly one-dimensional sound. Occasionally wimpy vocals (par for the course for a power pop band) are compensated for by airy harmonies or rowdier shout alongs, and amusing vocal affectations distinguish songs such as "Out Of Time" and the stuttering “Tell My Why (I Can’t Understand You)”), giving them their most hummable characteristic. The band's big synths perhaps makes them sound somewhat dated, but like other new wave influenced acts of their era (I'm thinking of The Cars), this doesn't impede my enjoyment of these albums much, as the self-titled debut is especially excellent despite its dated flaws. Though “Yellow Pills” is their most well known song (Rhino Records even named one of their power pop anthology series’ after it, as did a popular fanzine), almost every other song is really good as well, with “Tell My Why (I Can’t Understand You)”) possibly winning the honors as my personal favorite (after "Yellow Pills," of course), despite stiff competition from the likes of "Cheri," "She's An Obsession," "Leaving Your World Behind," and “Jet Lag.” Most of these songs have a healthy obsession with "girls," and harder-hitting numbers such as "Tonight We Fly" and "Backyard Guys" show a more macho side, but all 12 of these songs are likely to get under your skin at some point. “Nuclear Boy” starts off Lookout!, their sophomore effort, with another one of their very best songs, and "Out Of My Head" and "Strange Side Of Love" continue with more good guitar and singable choruses, while "A Girl Like You" reveals a moodier side, as the album on the whole is a bit darker and more musically straightforward (it's more distinctly American as well; gone are the vocal affectations, for example, and one song is even called "American Dream"). Other notables include "The Night I Heard A Scream," an affecting, bittersweet ballad, and "Big Beat," an aptly titled, high energy rocker (on the chorus, anyway, as opposed to its sighing, melodic verses). On the whole, though, the overall quality of the album isn’t quite up to the previous album's lofty standards, though the band seems incapable of writing anything less than a solid song and Lookout! likewise has its fair share of highlights. Unfortunately, being a great pop band has never been a surefire formula for commercial success, and the band’s inability to move units caused them to break up, though they did release (the supposedly lesser) Sex Trap in 1983 before reconvening many years later for (the supposedly far different) 4 Day Tornado (1995) and Interstate (1998). But these acclaimed early albums are the ones on which the band's reputation rests, as they're among the best that the underdog power pop genre has to offer, especially at the budget 2-for-1 price.

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