[rayword45]

Day 164: Stands for Decibels by The dBs

And I thought Sufjan Stevens had ugly cover art. From what I can tell, the dBs were a group of aging men who decided they wanted to record some power pop one day in hopes of falling into obscurity followed by a rediscovering by future bands, but they didn't get that, because nobody in the band is as talented as Chris Bell or as volatile as Alex Chilton. It's basically 4 copies of Jody Stephens in their late 30s who are all colorblind. This is how I gauge the album artwork. Seriously, it's hideous.

As for the actual music, the first song may be one of the catchiest power pop songs I've ever heard. However, the remainder of the first side is absolutely awful, like a corny 80s attempt at snarky White Album emulation. The second side starts out almost as awful but quickly turns into a much better album with 4 songs more than half as good as the first song.

I would wish for a whole album of Black and Whites but no band could ever pull that off without being super boring. Still, lower points for that awful first side.

Best Track: Black and White
Rating: 5/10 (The best song is like a 9/10 while the rest of the first half is a 3 at best)