Reissue Reviews: The dB's
GUEST POST: Jordan Oakes
The dB’s: Stands for Decibels & Repercussion
By Jordan Oakes
Before the dB’s came to that tuning fork in the road, the point at which the band’s pair of compatible pop geniuses went their separate ways, they created an idiosyncratic songwriting synergy of the highest caliber.
Afterward, Peter Holsapple continued the dB’s but steered the band toward twangst and alt-country, while Chris Stamey went solo, deputizing his inner avant-garde. But in the space of these two remarkable albums, the songwriters’ sensibilities met one another halfway, remaining in close stylistic proximity, with pretty much the same influences.
The debut, Stands for Decibels, is closer to ‘60s pop than psychedelia or punk, but flouts the power pop rule book just when you think they’re about to follow it. Take the verse of “Cycles Per Seconds,” which reminds me of a cassette tape played backwards.
Beneath the artfully stretched syllables is an XTC-meets-ADHD rhythm, followed by a chorus that sounds like the Beau Brummels on Zoloft. Drummer Will Rigby keeps things off-kilter (almost off-kit!) with his Willful half-Moon improvisations that, despite any illusion of ramshackle clobbering, nail the beat with a sense of duty.
Holsapple’s “Bad Reputation” takes what sounds like the verse of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and transforms it into a pop rock paean to a misunderstood girl who gets lots of attention and little respect. The chorus is Holsapple firing on all cylinders, replete with arching aah aahs, punchy riffs, unexpected diversions and a twist of garage.
His “Big Brown Eyes” (well, hers really) is a love-buzzed daydream in which infatuation becomes a blissful distraction from reality. In addition to appearing on the album, the track can be found in the encyclopedia when you look up “perfect pop song.”
Stamey’s “She’s Not Worried” is an orangey slice of Van Dyke Parks-phase Beach Boys—less verbose though just as enigmatic. In other ways, it could be an answer song to “Don’t Worry, Baby.”
Decibels’ excellent remastering brings out previously unearthed nuances in Holsapple’s sublime, hypnotic “Moving in Your Sleep.” The punchy “Judy,” a bonus track, sounds even brighter and richer than when it was relegated to a B-side. The album tips its hat in subtle ways to the carnivalesque clavioline of Del Shannon, the raga improvs of “Eight Miles High,” the comforting harmonies of Nazz and the Hollies, and bits of factorial artiness inspired by their fellow New York rockers.
After earning acclaim with Stands for Decibels, Repercussion finds the dB’s embracing their pop rock responsibilities, stretching out their sound with producer Scott Litt for a shinier result.
The opening track (though another version of the album begins with “Happenstance”),” Living A Lie,” has a dash of the Beatles’ “Getting Better,” and, better still, an attention-grabbing wall of brass. You can almost see the conductor pointing at the horn section.
“Ask for Jill” entangles us in a gleeful weave of choirboy harmonies, an addictive tune, and a half-winking spoken passage in which Stamey unsuccessfully tries to reach the object of his song’s affection. Though she may be elusive, Jill couldn’t ask for a more magnificent call-out.
“In Spain,” another Stamey track, is deceptively upbeat for a lamentation, and his counterbalancing “I Feel Good (Today)” kicks up its heels and lives happily in the moment (around three minutes, actually).
The closing track “Neverland,” is Peter’s paean to romantic implosion. Like “Black and White” but more colorful, it has a singable riff that could have fallen off a Plimsouls record.
These long-overdue reissues of Stands for Decibels and Repercussion are once again available on CD and, for the first time in America, vinyl.
I predict that in the not-too-distant future, these albums will be accorded the same lionized reverence as the first two records by Big Star.
They’ll get what they deserve, because the dB’s stand for quality.
Jordan Oakes founded, published, and edited the Yellow Pills power pop magazine beginning in 1991, and compiled five Yellow Pills CD compilations beginning in 1993. His journalism has also appeared in Sound Choice, Speak, The Riverfront Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Rolling Stone’s ‘Alt-Rock-a-Rama’ book, and elsewhere. He’s a published poet and occasional standup comedian. He loves dogs and dog-eared magazines.
When I bought the vinyl of 'Repercussion' back in the day it came with the cassette glommed onto it. First and only time I saw anything released like that. It remains one of my favourite albums ever.
The Stands for Decibels reissue sounds incredible. At one point, Will Rigby hinted that *maybe* "Like This" would be remastered/reissued relatively soon. Fingers crossed!