Homespun: Popular Mechanics, Time And a Half

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews Popular Mechanics' album, Time and a Half. He has this to say:

In the annals of American indie rock, the name Hüsker Dü recalls the smart, streamlined rock & roll made by the Minnesota band throughout the '80s. The St. Louis trio Popular Mechanics certainly remembers that famed three-piece, so much so that you could mistake singer/guitarist Dave Todd's vocals for Bob Mould's sweet but occasionally snide delivery. On its debut album, Popular Mechanics displays a knack for making catchy, familiar rock music -- these three musicians understand the mechanics of popular music, if you'll pardon the wordplay. Opening track "I Don't Mind" bears repeated listens; it's one of several love-gone-wrong songs that Todd approaches with a mix of venom and malaise. The pose works well for the band.

Read the rest of our Popular Mechanics review here. You can buy the album at Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records and Apop Records or online right here at Pancake Productions. Honestly, the CD has some of the coolest packaging I've seen in a local release in a long time; I'd recommend the physical copy for sure. (Related content: Dave Todd is perhaps mistaken for Zach Galifianakis.)

MP3: Popular Mechanics, "I Don't Mind"

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