Submarine Races

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

Submarine Races
New - LP - ITR 159
Sealed 2008 Original. Includes Bonus CD Of Entire Album. “The Submarine Races Are One Of Those Bands Whose Members Probably Claim That They "Don't Sound Like Anyone" And "Listen To Everything." In Fact, They're Really A Fairly Standard Indie Pop Trio With The Usual Neo-Psych And Post-Punk Influences, But This Chicago Trio Does The Same Ol' Thing With More Élan Than Most. Ian Adams' (Ex-Ponys) Endearingly Dorky, Adenoidal Voice And Jangle-Riffic Guitar Style Are The Band's Key Attributes, Alongside A Rhythm Section That Shambles Along Awkwardly In The Matter Of Old U.K. Indie Bands Like The Vaselines Or The Pastels. When A Band Is Working The Same Basic Style As A Couple Decades' Worth Of Other Groups, Their Songwriting Is The Make-Or-Break Aspect, And In The Case Of The Submarine Races, It's A Frustratingly Mixed Bag. There Are Several Terrific Songs Here, Most Notably The Instantly Catchy "Hey Dad (The War Is Over)," A Slice Of Full-On C-86 Worship Called "Postcard," And The Scene-Setting Opener, "Theme," Which Makes Good Musical Use Of An Actual Sonar Machine. However, Some Of The Weaker Songs Attempt To Skate By On Pop-Geek Atmosphere, And They're Not Tuneful Or Inventive Enough To Manage, Quite. – Stewart Mson, All Music Guide more