Ric Menck
and
Paul Chastain
were an indie pop dynamic duo in the late '80s and early '90s. Their most popular incarnation was the long-running power pop band
Velvet Crush
, but before that group started up, they recorded plenty of gems together. They formed
Choo Choo Train
together, then
Menck
split off to release singles under
the Springfields
banner, while
Chastain
stuck with
-- though they still worked together on both bands.
Slumberland
's
Singles 1986-1991
gathers up all the songs
issued during that time and even sneaks in a
-written and -sung
single. The songs are a mix of
originals and well-chosen covers that were released by important indie pop labels like
Bus Stop
,
Sarah
Seminal Twang
, and
Summershine
. The earliest single is the
release, and it lays out the template in clear terms: very jangly guitars, powerful drums, swirling production, and
's sweet-as-lemonade vocals. "The Perfect Day" is punchy, candy-coated neo-psych, while "The Bicycle Song" is chiming pop not far from the nervy side of
Let's Active
. On these tracks
proves to be a brilliant drummer, skilled producer, and surprisingly effective singer -- all things that carry over to each
Springfields
single and come to full fruition on "Sunflower." It's a dreamy
-penned ballad with stop-start drumming, a swooning melody, and lovely vocal harmonies; co-released by
, it earned the band a Single of the Week in the NME. Elsewhere,
proves a crack hand at covers as he revels in the melancholy of
the Hollies
' "Clown," makes
Primal Scream
's "Tomorrow Ends Today" twice as cheerfully heartbroken, and turns
the Pastels
' "Million Tears" into a delightful knees-up. His friendship with
Matthew Sweet
gave him first crack at
Sweet
's unused demos, and he plucked the beautiful strum pop ballad "Are We Gonna Be Alright?" out of the pile and turned it into gold. As already evidenced decisively by "Sunflower,"
's originals don't wilt when placed next to the covers; his ballads are powerfully melancholy ("She Swirls Around Me") and his up-tempo songs are first-rate jangle pop ("Wonder"). The
co-write "Reachin for the Stars" points the way to the more rocked-out sounds of
and was the last song the duo wrote in their twee pop, fooling around and releasing small singles era. Hearing that song, and the rest of the set, it's not hard to wish that
had stuck to
a bit longer. There's something simple and true about these songs that transmits
's love of classic indie pop in truly joyous fashion and it's nice that
has made them available again. They were out before as the main part of
The Ballad of Ric Menck
compilation -- which was released by
and then
's own
Action Musik
-- and if you don't have those, get them here because this music is an essential part of any indie pop fan's collection. ~ Tim Sendra