The Clarks – Someday Maybe / 5 Chinese Brothers – Let’s Kill Saturday Night
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Posted On May 1, 1997
Discovering great music is sometimes a rollercoaster ride. First, there’s the exhilaration you experience when a new record captivates you from beginning to end, followed by the slight depression when the album draws to a close and the final notes hang in the air. Then there’s the thrill of learning that the band’s got other releases available, followed by the humiliation of discovering that you’re the last guy at the party. Your new band isn’t so new after all; you’re just the last person to find out about them. A bit manic to be sure, but an apt description of the two-day period in which I was introduced to the Clarks and 5 Chinese Brothers.
Having recently celebrated their 10th anniversary, Pittsburgh band the Clarks are on their fourth release with Someday Maybe. Their music is equal parts guitar-driven pop (in the Petty/Mellencamp vein) and country-rock that brings to mind Blue Rodeo. No doubt the result of their decade together, the band is extremely tight both instrumentally and vocally. They’ve also written some great songs: The current single “Caroline” has the makings of a radio hit, and “Last Call” is one of the greatest bar-closing songs ever put to tape.
Leaning more to the country side of the fence are New York City’s 5 Chinese Brothers. As stated in their bio, “Not five. Not Chinese. Not Brothers.” But they are definitely fun. Hearing Popeye’s infamous tag line (“That’s all I can stand, I can’t stands no more”) put to music was good for a chuckle. But the opening lines to the band’s “Product of Dysfunction” — “My girl’s like a wading pool/She’s shallow and full of piss/And I should have left a long time ago/But the girl knows how to kiss” — triggered a full-blown, side-splitting belly laugh. Despite such humor, they’re by no means a novelty act; the record is full of country-pop tunes with great harmonies and entertaining lyrics.
Musically, the Clarks and 5 Chinese Brothers share little common ground. But out of love for their music, both have hung together for the long haul, built sizable regional followings, and, over time, have expanded their fan base to include national audiences. At a time when “next big things” come and go on a regular basis, it’s great to see bands still doing it the old fashioned way — with hard work and great music.
