| The
Grip Weeds obviously worship the classic rock of the 60s—echoes of
the Byrds, the Who and Buffalo Springfield, not to mention the Kinks,
the Beatles and the Move, are everywhere on their third album Summer
of a Thousand Years. But the New Jersey quartet is no nostalgia act.
They're not trying to ape the past, but build upon it. With a skilled,
versatile rhythm section and an exceptionally potent combination of
jangling 12-string and crunchy lead guitars, the band sets up an instantly
appealing wall of sound; their smooth harmonies are a bonus. Songwriters
Rick Reil and Kurt Reil generate layered, carefully crafted morsels
of pop 'n' roll that nod toward their influences without copying them—they
use the same box of paints but come up with different canvases.
The openers "Save My Life" and "She Surrounds
Me" pack the kind of one-two punch that guarantees close attention;
"Changed" and "Love's Lost on You" are even better, bringing the
album to a dizzy mid-point peak. The Reils' tunes are so good that
a cover of Pete Townshend's Who Sell Out gem "Melancholia" fits
right in without overshadowing the group's originals. If the band
has a flaw, it's that they don't have any truly outstanding singers,
but that's a minor complaint, as the vocals are never less than
pleasant. A summer this nice should last a lot longer than a mere
millennium. -- Michael Toland
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