Smart Bubblegum
Brian J. Greene | Durham, NC | 07/08/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"So in the early '90's the enigmatic Lawrence put his Television-inspired act Felt to rest and created Denim. Gone were Felt's sprays of thin guitar lines and understated vocals and in their place came crunchy, fat chords, lyrics that were decade-obsessed, big, '70's dance party drum beats and an overall feel of a smartypants doing bubblegum. Most of these songs just don't go much of anyplace, and many are about three minutes too long (including some which are three minutes or so long). But "Bubblehead" is an irresisitible pop gem with a guitar groove that won't quit and a melody that will have you humming along. And "The Osmonds" is notable just for its lyrical content, particularly the lines "And in the '70's there were Osmonds, lots of little Osmonds, there were lots of Osmonds everywhere." This is not as good as Felt records but Lawrence enthusiasts will want to pick it up, and it's a keeper if only for the sake of "Bubblehead.""
Nothing Short of Amazing
Joseph Babic | 08/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Coming off the heels of his understated wimp-pop outfit Felt, Lawrence (Hayward) went on to craft nothing short of a one-man post-rock'n'roll masterpiece. Trashing the wiry Television-esque guitar and melodic gymnastics of Felt, "Back in Denim" wastes no time in clobbering you over the head with the title track's huge "We Will Rock You" beat and starts off with manifesto--(I'm back, back in Denim!). Every song is packed full of wit, irony, nostalgia, optimism, and disdain over big dumb kitchen-sink bubblegum beats and huge choruses. A true lost classic by a true rock'n'roll weirdo, ranking along with the best of Pulp, Morrissey, Auteurs/Haines but completely different than any of them. I also suggest the criminally out-of-print "Denim on Ice"."
Catty, Pastiche-Rock
K. Johnson | Brooklyn, NY | 10/06/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Denim are good songwriters. But the sarcasm and irony and the cheeky Lou Reed imitation wear thin, very quickly. There are some fantastic melodies on here that could have been worthwhile, if they had been written with an ounce of sincerity behind them. If you make joke-rock, at least do it with an original sound, not with a self-righteous mockery of the 70's and 80's."