The Playthings and Jettison
The Grand Emporium
April 19, 1999

Review by Danny Alexander

We weren't far into the Plaything's fun-loving set when Danielle leans over to me and says singer Tim Brown, "reminds me of AndyBob minus the vulgarity and bad language." By the end of the set, when Brown and company boldly sold, "Fucking is Good," we could only hope AndyBob was spinning in his bed.

The four-piece Playthings chug along with such casual irreverance that they genuinely shock you when a choogling rhythm builds, takes off and hard houserocking guitar takes over, as on "Trying Not To Think." Equally surprising is the psychedelic beauty that creeps its way into "Rock'N'Roll Died." All in all, the Playthings' set on Monday night was a solid celebration of garage rock glory--from surf and drag to Tex Mex.

To an unfortunately waning house, Jettison closed the night with a strong, earnest set. The three-piece rocked hard and catchy, begging you to buy the record and get to know the music better. Though Jettison often seemed to be mining that mid-eighties postpunk territory defined by Husker Du and the Minutemen, "Temperature Drop" brought to mind the size of one of the Clash's great first album anthems, and the encore nod to R.E.M. made brilliant musical sense of the band's overall approach.

--Danny Alexander

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