GAY DAD

GAY DAD
LEISURE NOISE (1999)
320 KBPS

Not since Toad the Wet Sprocket has a band had so much pop potential with such a horrid name. But, if you can get past Gay Dad's ridiculous moniker, an album of intelligent, guilt-free pop pleasure awaits you with Leisure Noise. The hooks of the first single, "To Earth With Love," are just the tip of the iceberg. Taking a familiar formula (the swaggar of 70s glam rock combined with space-age guitars) the group is remiscent of fellow brit rock bands like Ride and Swervedriver, but instead of burying the melodies and lyrics behind a thick wall of sound, Gay Dad's vocal hooks are unabashedly pushed to the fore. With a former Mojo contributer in their ranks, it's obvious the group knows their rock history. The brilliant "Oh Jim" is a textbook power ballad and "Dimstar" and "My Son Mystic, " both songs containing soaring, shimmering guitars, are a lesson for aspiring songwriter's wanting to explore dynamics and tension.

1. Dim Star
2. Joy!
3. Oh Jim
4. My Son Mystic
5. Black Ghost
6. To Earth With Love
7. Dateline
8. Pathfinder
9. Different Kind of Blue
10. Jesus Christ