Can't Help It--Sorry!
R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 06/25/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Australia's Someloves were mostly Dom Mariani and Darryl Mather, plus a revolving cast of bassists and drummers. Mariani was the founder of the much-loved Stems, while Mather hailed from the sadly short-lived Lime Spiders.
Their difficult relationship was made moreso by the fact that Mariani resided in Perth, and Mather in Sydney. For the geographically-impaired, it's akin to one band mate living in New York City, and the other in Los Angeles. Imagine the songwriting problems they encountered without the use of mp3 files, faxes and e-mail. 'Something Or Other' is likely the best album ever composed over trans-Australian phone calls.
While those circumstances allowed for just that one album, an EP and some singles, their profile remains remarkably high; 'Something Or Other' is regularly cited as one of the great lost albums of its time. 'Don't Talk About Us' explodes the myth that interest in the Someloves is only dewey-eyed nostalgia by remastering 'Something' on the first disc, and giving us B-sides, demos and alternate mixes on the second.
Produced by Mitch Easter at his Drive-In Studios in North Carolina, 'Something' remains a ringing ode to three-minute songs built around effervescent harmonies, sticky choruses and sparkling, multi-tracked guitars. It wouldn't be a stretch to compare the Someloves to Tommy Keene, the Velvet Crush and Easter's own Let's Active. Released five years earlier, this would have been a college radio smash.
But the fact that it wasn't doesn't diminish 'Something' a bit. "Melt", "Know You Now", "Girl Soul" and their first single, "It's My Time", are as fresh as this morning's bread. And a B-side, "She's a Better Lover", likewise inspires a quick reach for the volume knob.
'Something Or Other' isn't perfect, though. Some of the lesser material dissolves into a chime-y guitar blur, a fact not helped by the similar tempos and Easter's crystalline production. A little dirt and some variety in 'Something's tempos would have made a big difference.
These complaints aside, any album that inspires a two-disc reissue sixteen-years after its initial release must have something going for it. And make no mistake--this does.
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