Search - J Church :: Nostalgic for Nothing

An OBSCURE-DISK Commentary

M. D. Weiskopf | Los Angeles, CA USA | 05/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A longstanding fixture of the Bay Area punk scene, San Francisco's J Church is also one of its most prolific. NOSTALGIC FOR NOTHING is the band's second volume of singles and compilation tracks, following the earlier ...SOUND OF MARIACHI BANDS.Inconsistent in performance but irrepressible in spirit, J Church centers around singer/guitarist Lance Hahn, whose likable voice puts across his intensely personal narratives: the brilliant "Panama" is ostensibly a music-biz parable about Gerard Cosloy; the narrator of "Tide of Fate" finds his dreams bitterly deflated by societal expectation; "My Favorite Place" is an alternately hilarious and bittersweet elegy for a decaying neighborhood.For the most part, the propulsive, highly melodious music nicely balances Hahn's thoughtful lyrics, but the band has greater trouble integrating its penchant for record-geek cover versions. Nick Lowe's "Mary Provost" and Poi Dog Pondering's "Living with the Dreaming Body" fit the band's aesthetic perfectly, but covers by Duran Duran ("Planet Earth") and Chris Knox (a painful "Not Given Lightly") seem strained.NOSTALGIC FOR NOTHING suffers from the usual pitfalls of such closet-cleaning endeavors, such as a lack of continuity and an overlong running time, but it contains many of the essentials of J Church's oeuvre. Those seeking a high-octane balance between Elvis Costello and the Buzzcocks will find much here in the way of smart, ear-pleasing power pop."