B-
As much as I'd love to get unconditionally behind the Minders,
here's the truth and boy does it hurt: the seemingly unstoppable
Elephant 6 mystique wears a little thin here.
Yes, the Denver quartet are an above-average little pop outfit with a knack for the nifty '60s-inspired hookery we at NUB swear by. It's just that too many tracks here lack the personality or punch required to get them over the hump. There's nothing in "Yeah Yeah Yeah" or "I've Been Wondering" that the Apples In Stereo themselves haven't done better. More than once. Too often it feels like the production sparkle and lovely background harmonies of head Apple Robert Schneider represent a valiant effort to "Elephant 6-ize" the Minders' fairly ordinary tunes. Can this be happening?
Not that the Minders lack promise. In fact, there's a lot here to like: "Hooray For Tuesday" kicks off the record with a Beatlesy horn section morphing into spiraling, trippy guitar pop of the highest order and back again. "Comfortably Tucked Up Inside" and "Pass It Around" exhibit a low-key, elegant melodicism., The homemade exotica of "Our Man In Bombay" recalls Yo La Tengo. "Red Bus" is as perfect as lightweight pop gets.
But that's part of the problem; the Minders are enjoyable but just too flimsy. With some roughening up around the edges and further development of their own personality (possibly via the freewheeling experimentation synonymous with the E6 clan), they could turn into something more memorable. As it is, they're better than, yes, 95% of the homogenous crap that is often referred to as contemporary music. But I just can't imagine digging into Hooray For Tuesday 10 years down the road.
--Lane Hewitt