CAPITAL
Above It All
Independent
Capital's debut
full-length Above It All is a rock and roll gem waiting to be discovered. Shedding
the Brit-pop skin that they wore on their original demos, the South Carolina band now dons
a crisper, classic rock and roll sheen (thanks in part to producer Dave Cobb, formerly of
The Tender Idols.) Above It All does not sound like a self-financed record. Just
listen to the full bass that writhes around the taut, beat-flipping rhythms set up by
drummer Kenneth Salters on "Can't Get Off." Dig into the pissed off, kiss off of
the opening cut "Famous" for more catchy-but-edgy hooks than you'll see on any
modern rock radio programmer's play list. Bookend that with the last song "What Keeps
You Up." This one pulses slowly. There may be a sinister undercurrent, but the
gorgeous strings (is that a mellotron?) keep the whole shebang afloat for a dreamy ending
that shows off the diversity of the quartet and the compositional skills this band is
lucky enough to own. Other highlights include "Invincible," which shows off Ry
Adams' snotty punkish voice. On the other side of Ry's coin is the gorgeous pure pop
double tracked vocal of "Luckiest Man In The World." The latter should surely be
a single. It's melodic, pretty and timeless. However, in a perfect world, "Round
Again" would be the ubiquitous track for rainy summer days. With its Ringo
Starr-style splashy drumming and chiming guitar work from Noel Rodgers and Todd Mathis,
this one takes Capital way beyond the Oasis flavored sound of their earlier recordings and
into the realm of Paul McCartney's early '70s work with Wings. Displaying just the right
amounts of pure songwriting ability, dead-on musical performances, strong (but thankfully
not too perfect) vocals and rock solid production, the title of Capital's new disc speaks
more concisely than I could about where the band stands in relation to all other comers
locally and nationally. This is a great rock and roll record.