Mess Of Everything. Local Drags

Glorious powerpop returns to WoNoBlog in the form of Springfield, Illinois' Local Drags. Somehow I associated the band name in the past with punk (rock) but that is only a, very one-sided, part of the story. Local Drags combines the best of a few decades of powerpop from the U.S. in its songs. Ten new ones see the light of day on Mess Of Everything. Ten songs that explore everything what is possible in this niche of the music scene.

Mess Of Everything is Local Drags' third album. I've missed the first, lauded the second, 'Keep It Glued', and now am listening to a glorious third. Glorious because the band truly hits a high here. Not afraid of infusing come country into its rock, 'Call You A Baby' comes out as perfect pop. A pedal steel wines through the song as if Local Drags is a country rock band of old, playing a kind of rock that still needed inventing in the mid-70s.

It is the pop feel that is hitting on those highs. Each song is of the instantly sing-a-long kind. What Mess Of Everything is not is a commercial sell out. With references to Big Star, Weezer, The Romantics and an obscure favourite of mine from the 90s The Caulfields, to name a few, Local Drags emulates the best of bands that at best scored a hit single by accident, if at all like Big Star and The Caulfields. Unfortunately perfection does not always bring huge success.

At a minimum this albums deserves serious attention of fans of poprock, powerpop and punkrockers. They will not be disappointed. Local Drags truly brings the best of many worlds together in a successful way. This mix works. To think there's only 700 copies available, on vinyl and cd combined, so you'd better be fast. Better, order far beyond that 700 and make this album an instant success. Lanny Durbin, he has played most of the music and is Local Drags, deserves it.

What I'll concede, is that Mess Of Everything is not an original album where the music it contains is concerned. But, please tell me if any of the originals has made a better album than this recently. I haven't heard it in any case. Local Drags is on a roll and surfs the waves only top songs produce. The variation on the album does the rest.

I have only one question left. If Lanny Durbin made a mess of everything on his new record, what will he share with us when he hits perfection? Will it be too much to bear musically?

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Mess Of Everything here:

https://localdrags.bandcamp.com/album/mess-of-everything