Portastatic - Bright Ideas

Opening the album Bright Ideas with the song “Bright Ideas” was a bright idea by Portastatic in itself. Alright, stay with me here. I was so taken with the lush opener that the inertia carried me through the rest of the album. It wasn’t really that difficult; most of the material was pretty top-notch. As a latecomer to the sounds of Mac McCaughan, Superchunk and Portastatic, I found myself pleasantly surprised at how likable and genuine the songwriting was. The songs “Bright Ideas” and “Truckstop Cassettes” are easily my favorite tracks. They punctuate the album nicely, members of that rare club of songs that gently carry you away to the more reflective regions of the mind, rhythmic and mysterious. Altogether, the first six tracks are the strongest, filled with interesting lyrics, personal storytelling and catchy riffs. The last four tracks are pretty good too, but the album is definitely a little heavy at the top. Well-written lyrics are the fuel that keeps the music driving over the sometimes generic, fuzzy pop-rock - especially later on. My vote goes back to “Bright Ideas.” It’s definitely the star of this robust collection. “I’ll put my bright ideas right back in my ass,” McCaughan sings in the title track. Luckily he didn’t, at least for the most part. [www.portastatic.com]