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The Mendoza Line
Via Brooklyn, via Atlanta, via Elvis Costello, via Roy Orbison, this band has been around the block too many times to count. Which amuses me, because, right now, alt-country is apparently "in" and "hip," particularly when you count the hipsters who line up to see the the drawling chantenuse of the moment. But Shannon McArdle of the Mendoza Line couldn't give a damn, since she's been holding down that particular fort for a long, long time.
Filled with handclaps, pedal guitar, and tambourines, The Mendoza Line make music that is comfortable and eminently hummable. And when the Mendozas display the interplay between McArdle's wispy voice and Timothy Bracy's creaky vocals, well, the songs just beg to be sung along to. Their penchant for witty one-liners and sarcastic comebacks is perhaps unmatched in the indie pop scene; who else would give albums titles like We're All In This Alone and I Like You When You're Not Around. I've witnessed many a fine moment when Bracy gives ups the ante on rockers like "Name Names" and "Road to Insolvency," bringing down the house. Although, it must be said that both some-time Mendoza Pete Hoffman and McArdle can hold their own--Hoffman on the bitter "Baby, I Know What You're Thinking," and McArcle on the scathing "It's a Long Line (But It Moves Quickly)." After all, the name of the band is self-deprecation at its best as it is a slang term describing the boundary between good and mediocre baseball batters.
The lineup has evolved over the course of a decade, and if you look closely you can see scars from the last near breakup of the band; I've been lead to believe the bitterness and irony found in We're All In This Alone stems directly from the entire band attemping to live in the same house. Their body of work shows a gradual maturation and finding of their unique niche: an abundance of hooks and an alt-country sensibility, built upon fuzzy indie pop hooks and an unwavering dedication. Mendoza Line albums are all over the place, as the band employs as many as three or four songwriters on a single album. You can call it messy, eclectic, and sprawling, but albums like Full of Light and Full of Fire and Fortune are ultimately winsome and satisfying.
The Mendoza Line - It's a Long Line (But It Moves Quickly)
The Mendoza Line - Catch A Collapsing Star
The Mendoza Line - Name Names
The Mendoza Line - The Lethal Temptress
The Mendoza Line - What Ever Happened to You?
The Mendoza Line - We're All in This Alone
The Mendoza Line - Baby, I Know What You're Thinking
The Mendoza Line's official site. Buy Full of Light and Full of Fire from Amazon or iTunes Music Store. They play Friday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. at Maggie Mae's.
Shadows tags:mendozaline.
Posted by Queen of the Front Row at 03.04.06 at 2:39 AM
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