Wolf Colonel
K Records
Portland, Oregon's Wolf Colonel is
primarily singer-songwriter Jason
Anderson, who grew beyond his solo guitar
dorm room performances, gathered some
friends, plugged in, and started rocking out.
Though Wolf Colonel now plays live
with a full band, Anderson records the
bulk of his studio albums on his own. The first
full-length, 1999's Vikings of Mint (K
Records), contains 15 glimpses of power
pop rock heaven. This "attention deficit punk"
captures all of the fun and the rambunctious
silliness of big arena rock posturing and distills
it into a purer form. Anderson may have been a
singer-songwriter, but these songs have more
in common with the muscular rock power of
Thin Lizzy than the wussy
self-indulgence generally associated with the
s/s tag. The featured "Moral of the Story" is
one of the longer songs on that album, clocking
in at just under two and a half minutes.
Halfway through, the song breaks into a big fat
proggy rock bridge leading into a triumphant
chorus that just begs you to sing along with
Anderson's ultra
Elvis Costello-meets-Blake
Schwarzenbach (of the
late great Jawbreaker and the
currently great Jets to Brazil) straining
croon. "The Emperor in the Sky," also from
Vikings, is a little slice of fuzzy pop
bliss, with harmonies straight out of a Guided
by Barber Shop Quartet song that are
guaranteed to make you swoon.
In 2000, K released The
Castle, featuring "The Almond Gorilla."
Once again, Anderson delivers
toe-tappin' melodies, sun-drenched
instrumentation, and wryly sweet
vocals, all wrapped up into two and a half
minutes of power pop bliss. In addition to the
two Wolf Colonel full-lengths,
K also released a seven-inch EP
(simply titled Wolf Colonel) in 1999.
Wolf Colonel captures the irrepressible
energy and enthusiasm that you hear in only
the greatest rock and roll, featuring the kind of
perfect chord progressions, well-placed guitar
solos, and sweet harmonies that put smiles on
everyone's faces. You'll want to savor these
songs, but before you can learn all the words,
the moment will have passed. You'll just have
to listen again.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
08/31/01
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