I'd been wanting to put up the Fastbacks for a while. They came to mind again last night as I was consulting an old book of mine last night and noticed a top 10 records from the group's leader/songwriter Kurt Bloch that included The Three O'Clock's Sixteen Tambourines - one of the few mentions of that group in the book. Another interesting fact about the Fastbacks, perhaps the one that finally got me to hear them, is that Duff McKagan of Guns 'N' Roses was one of the many to pass through the group's revolving door of drummers.
It is some fast-paced punky pop, perhaps "pop-punk," as maligned as that style has become. Bloch as a great songwriter and really allows the female vocals to shine through, watching his own creation succeed. He rocks out as well and has just as many connections to the world of metal (well beyond the McKagan association) as to indie pop (including producing Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 in his home studio). Most tracks are quite short and very infectious, particularly opener "Under The Old Lightbulb" and "Bill Challenger," but longer tracks like the opener "Believe Me Never" do not get boring either.
This is a prime example of the pre-grunge Seattle music scene, despite it's post-explosion release date, this was one of the bands that really got that city ready for the prolific (though only arguably great) scene that grew in Washington's fertile ground.
The Fastbacks - Zücker (1993)
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