The Campbells – The Kid From Gillette, Wyoming

The Campbells – The Kid From Gillette, Wyoming / 2007 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.campbellsrock.com /

The Campbells start out their “The Kid From Gillette, Wyoming” with a very early nineties type of alternative rock sound “My Silly Sparks” is a track that sounds as if The Campbells took equal amounts of Polaris and Soul Asylum and linked them together. There is still a little bit of fuzz coming from an earlier grunge sound, but this is moderated by the inclusion of strung-out, more hippy-like guitar work. Even though The Campbells are doing this earlier style, the act can still seem relevant and germane to current listeners. “My Silly Sparks” is able to do that through the inclusion of a vocal style that hits at points on the work of They Might Be Giants.

Finally, the solid instrumentation that is present during tracks like “My Silly Sparks”, especially the ever-present bass lines, will interest and infatuate music aficionados to the band. The band cools off slightly during “Dangerous Days”, but is able to still impress anyone that is listening in with a confident instrumentation and a solid arrangement of that instrumentation. The track finally begins to resemble a laid-back summer day, with the vocals representing a half-naked body lounging by the pool. While the first two tracks are two sides of the same coin, The Campbells still have a lot to show their fans with the rest of this eight song disc. For example, The Campbells take on a quicker, punkier still during “Remember When”. This style is reminiscent of the work done by the (very early version) of the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as the work of The Replacements.

The vocals seem to not have enough energy to really push along this track, but the intense instrumentation more than makes up for any perceived weakness on the part of the vocals here. The band goes back to the Aslyum/Polaris mesh of sounds for “Heard a Lot”, but this track is heads and shoulders above anything else. Linking together even acts like Sixpence None The Richer with the earlier influences, this track could easily be on Party of Five or any of Kevin Smith’s early “Jersey” world movies. The Campbells put together a half-hour of retro power that has a high replay value while still making individuals want to pick up other releases by the band. Here’s to hoping that the act will be able to come forth with more impressive music in the years to come.

Top Tracks: Heard a Lot, Last of the Big Time Shows

Rating: 7.2/10