Magnet
Don’t Be a Penguin (PC)
by Chris Adams
As far as I’m concerned, the Velvet Underground were easily the greatest band ever in the history of rock music. To me, it’s just screamingly obvious.
They had everything: sweet melancholy ballads, blazing rockers, weirdo experiments, style, mystery, and innovation all coalescing mightily into a whole that was far greater than the sum of its parts. (All this is expressed much more eloquently on Jonathan Richman’s “Velvet Underground,” a song available on his great I, Jonathan album.) Since the Velvets originally parted ways in 1970, drummer Mo Tucker has worked as a check-out girl in a Georgia Wal-Mart, raised a family, and released a series of lo-fi independent albums, upon which she played guitar and sang her own compositions. Magnet’s Don’t Be A Penguin is the first album since the Velvets’ 1969 Live which features Mo behind the drumkit (at least that’s what the press kit says – what about her first solo album, where she played all the instruments? What about the Velvets’ `93 reunion album, for crissakes? Or did they pull a Loadedand use Billy Yule instead?).
Magnet are, essentially, Washington DC-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark Goodman and a revolving cast of characters, which includes people who’ve played with the likes of Morphine, Halcion, and Trip Shakespeare. The Magnet sound is a pretty engaging blend of solid pop craftsmanship with a dose of rocket-fuel delivered via some Velvet-esque dual guitar interplay. (Goodman readily admits a heavy debt, and also cites a fondness for Galaxie 500 and Luna, a clear case of being influenced by the influenced.) Goodman’s also pretty handy with a melody, as evidenced on the irresistible opening track, “Julie,” which also brings Mo Tucker’s legendary tom-heavy drumming into the spotlight. Mo also steps into the spotlight for “Summer & Winter” on which she sounds like the same sweet-voiced kid who sang “Afterhours” on the Velvets’ classic third LP. And while Don’t Be a Penguin pales in comparison to any of the Velvets’ albums (what doesn’t?), it’s definitely a solid collection of well-written, superbly performed, bullshit-unencumbered pop gems. Definitely one for the vaults for any Velvets freak, and worth checking out if you dig stuff like the Feelies and the aforementioned Luna.
