Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey – Mavericks

When dB’s founders Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple reunited to record again eight years after Stamey had left the band, fans got excited to hear the cult outfit’s jangly, jagged college rock again. Their 1991-released record, however, delivered something slightly different: acoustic-based, harmony-heavy folk-pop, more Everly Brothers than Big Star. But what initially seemed overly subdued now sounds quite exquisite. Both Holsapple and Stamey, then in their mid-30s, convey a sense of worldly experience in these songs, which predominantly deal with love. Holsapple contributes some of his most starkly heartfelt songs (notably “Taken” and “She Was The One”), while Stamey takes a more sardonic look at relationships on “Lovers’ Rock” and “I Want To Break Your Heart”. This crisply remastered reissue boosts several bonus tracks (including the previously unreleased “Hollywood Waltz”), but most importantly it functions as a reminder of Holsapple and Stamey’s sublime songwriting skills — perhaps serving, too, as a harbinger for the duo’s long-rumored follow-up disc.