Even if Patrick Andrew, former bass player and occasional vocalist for the late great PFR, wasn't in this band, it would be something to talk about.
Andrew, along with friend and indy musician Greg Pope, formed Eager with other friends as PFR went through the final throes of death. The band is not a Patrick Andrew vehicle; it is a real band. Its self-titled debut commands attention and will undoubtedly be a big record for the upstart Questar Mission Records label, which thus far has been playing the quality-over-quantity ethic that is highly unusual in this business. (Their last release was the impressive debut of John Cox. )
There is a lot of PFR left in Eager, to be sure. And to say there's a lot of PFR is to insinuate that similar influences prevail. PFR was heavily influenced by both big-time rock acts like Queen and The Beatles and lesser-known power-pop groups like Jellyfish, The Posies and The Grays. The rap sheet here looks remarkably similar. With Jimmie Lee Sloas in the producer's chair, as he was for all of PFR's albums, his touch is obvious: orchestral flourishes and rich guitar tones behind vocals that are crisp, up-front and tasteful. Sloas has developed a trademark sound, and it dominates Eager, which is perfectly appropriate for this style.
Andrew and Pope share lead vocals, with each alternating as backing vocalist for the other. Pope's vocals are emotive, strong and dead-on (similar in role, if not tone, to PFR vox man Joel Hanson), and Andrew's voice sounds like a fine British boy with a throat full of broken glass and rubbing alcohol. The contrast is what keeps the vocals from sounding too much like McCartney/Lennon and not quite as over the edge as Radiohead or the like. The melodies follow long lines and lilting scales on the softer moments and raging screams during moments of crescendo. The harmonic interplay is key to Eager's sound. "Crimson for Downey Flake" (get it? blood red to snow white. . .) is the first single and will certainly blow away Christian rock radio with its wall of guitars and vocal harmonies. College music fans will undoubtedly hear a heavy Grays influence on this cut and others ("Draw Me Back," for instance.) Fortunately, the bands Eager pays homage to are among the great indy-level bands.
Eager has enough modern-rock (read: teen-appeal) aesthetic to win the fancy of the easily distractible alternative scene, and enough classic-rock sensibility to move beyond that lucrative but short-lived sphere of music consumers. Fans of '60s pop, '70s art-rock, '80s arena rock, '90s alternative and all the stuff that made FM radio work, will find elements of Eager to love. They know just when to throw in the acoustic ballad and the barnstormer. If this record is not a hit, it sure isn't for lack of trying.
Hopefully, as Eager finds its footing as a band, it will take its obviously powerful grasp of "what's hip" and add to it an increasing dose of what sounds like a deep well of creativity. Then maybe the comparisons won't come so quickly. But for a debut album, this is top-notch modern rock with enough substance to keep even the snobbiest of critics listening.
Discography
