Resin

Whatzup
December 2000

Resin
The Sugarplastic

by chad beck

On their last album, Bang, The Earth Is Round, The Sugarplastic convinced me that they were the best "happy-go-lucky-Beatlesque" band around. Bang was this Los Angeles band's second album, and on it they mastered pop music in a very cartoonish, and very catchy, way. It was the rare album that I recommended to everyone and also purchased for a few close friends of mine. (I don't know of one person that didn't fall in love with the band.) I still listen to Bang all the time, so when I became aware of Resin, I began to salivate in anticipation of a new Sugarplastic record to become obsessed with. I was not disappointed.

Playful as ever, Resin is positively giddy with melodies and percolating rhythms. The 17 brief songs here are like sudden warm breezes on a cold fall day, whipping comfortably at jaded skin desperately in need of fresh air. Bright and bouncy guitars are the center of the band's sound, but they also blend plenty of animated percussion alongside calliope-like keys and pitch-bending background vocals. The effect is a dreamy whirlwind that remains fresh and unique throughout, even upon infinite listens. Certainly adept musicians, the three members of The Sugarplastic show off their nimble chops with simplicity and style. In the tradition of musicians interested in creating great songs, the record never becomes over-burdensome with extraneous notes or ego-driven solos; rather, it sparkles in its frugality.

There's never been a band more fun to sing along too, and the Sugarplastic will surely coax playful performances out of their listeners with new songs like "Oh Leo," "Talk Back" and "Holy Moses." Vocals continually jump from speaker to speaker with harmonies echoing and circling like spastic entities set on nothing but getting stuck in your head. Even if you're not quite sure what the philosophical Ben Eshbach is talking about, it will be hard to resist joining him.

It may be tough to find Resin locally, so I suggest checking out the band's web site at www.sugarplastic.com for further info.

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