Zucker

Chronique

After the compilation The Question Is No catapulted them from their lowly status as a local cult item to their new role as a national cult item, Fastbacks sounded a good bit more cheerful and a lot more confident on their third proper album, Zucker. Roaring right out of the box with three hooky classics in a row ("Believe Me Never," "Gone to the Moon," and "Hung on a Bad Peg," Zucker manages to be one of Fastbacks' most rocking and most pop-influenced albums at once; "When I'm Old" is a lovely bit of mid-tempo contemplation replete with acoustic guitars, and Fastbacks even cover a Bee Gees tune (don't fret, "Please Read Me" dates from the Gibbs' Brit-pop period rather than the disco era). And if Kurt Bloch still sounds a bit uncertain about the world around him, he and his partners Kim Warnick, Lulu Gargiulo, and drummer of the moment Rusty Willoughby sound energetic enough to roar right over the bad times. Witty, muscular, and packed with great songs, Zucker ranks with Fastbacks' very best work.

© Mark Deming /TiVo