CD Review ~ The Hearts And The Minds

The Hearts And The Minds present the future of Classic Pop by capturing the past. The opening track, Bells Will Ring, immediately evokes Big Star (leaning more towards Chris Bell than Alex Chilton). Using the same distinctive, dreamy pop formula as Big Star, THATM rolls out the Beatles and runs them through every indie, Alt. style band from The Byrds to Belle & Sebastian and beyond. Presented as an Album (yes, it is available on vinyl), these 4 songs per side treat us to what was once considered the “real” way to create, construct, and present pop(ular) music.

The rest of Side One again echoes Big Star as THATM offer up a deep-seated Twilight Zone atmosphere with glimpses of Techno/industrial blends while tossing Pink Floyd/Roger Waters, ELO/Jeff Lynn (Got To Let You Know), XTC, Radiohead, MGMT, and The Beatles (Bending Trees, Arms Unfold) about with that type of George Martin pioneered production that accentuates each nuance of the pop formula.

Side Two opens with Spirit, a monster rock anthem a la Todd Rundgren’s Utopia which treads XTC territory with Led Zeppelin inspiration and a mammoth production that buries its teeth into the cerebellum. All Is Veiled is a modern day “Within You Without You” within a trippy psychedelic landscape of encompassing reverb. Lighthouse Keeper throws us out of the trip and into a psychotic garage rock of up-tempo dance pop boarding on smaltz pop, but THATM pulls it off beautifully as they have us singing along to the catchy chorus “You can believe what you want to believe.” Finally the 8-minute opus, You Are Home, takes us to outer space/Twilight Zone with a 3-D style Brian Wilson tapestry that results in a frappe of The Moody Blues and Pearl Jam.

This iconic presentation of Pop music wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if there wasn’t any lyrical sustenance to complete the formula, and THATM delivers on that front as well. Again sticking to the regimens of Pop, THATM lays down 8 songs of love and heartbreak/heartache – after all, what is a pop song without love or heartbreak/heartache? – each presented by points of view explored for their emotional impact and open to each individual’s perception and interpretation. The hooks and choruses that have us singing along with a feel good attitude to a break up song is the ultimate definition of Classic Pop.

The Hearts And The Minds capture the past to present the future of Classic Pop.