(from CWSY#6, August '01) / home / reviews index

The Tyde - 'Once' (Track & Field)
Debut LP from LA country-popsters
'Country' is a word to inspire fear, hatred, boredom; in the BBC popular music docu-series a few months back, the episode on early '70s country-rock was worse than the one on processed pop. Yet Mercury Rev's much-loved 'Deserter's Songs' included input and influence from arch-countryfilers The Band; and the term 'alt-country' has managed to take back the tears from the pining, overstrung slide guitar and given us Bonnie Prince Billy, Laura Cantrell etc. The Tyde are less 'alt.'; more just a West Coast pop group following the Beach Boys as well as the Byrds and their spin-offs. Opener 'All My Bastard Children' has a swirling splendour, bittersweet love with the warm crystal honey sound of the Rev. Possibly sweetened by time, the action "flapping your flares in the breeze" says, but I'm more inclined to call it 'vintage' than 'retro'.

The psychedelic flavour is present during 'Strangers Again' only in the synthy swirls at the start; I wish they were at the fore all through the song. If you're feeling down, the repetitive jauntiness of catchy radio rock 'Improper' and 'North County Times' may just irritate. But the tenderness is winning ("you know how much I hate tattoos.. but on you I'm sure they're beautiful") and the mellow atmosphere of a track like the interesting closer 'Silver's Okay Michelle', helped by gaspy vox a la Dylan, with a slight Reed-iness and the pronouncement of "wuh-man", makes the song too short even at over nine minutes. As it drifts almost into the realms of space-rock, slide-guitars don't sound so bad. I could crack a pun about letting the Tyde wash over you; I'd rather encourage them to let the bookending tracks wash over weaker moments. Still, sentimentality has a place in this pop. As they sing, "what's the matter with love in your life?"

www.trackandfield.org.uk Track & Field, Flat 2, 7 Lakefield Rd, London, N22 6RR