For some unknown reason, Quincy, an early 80s new wave band out of Philadelphia, never became huge—think of Squeeze minus the charming British eccentricities, or Elvis Costello without the chip on their shoulder. Whatever the reason for the band’s lack of lasting fame, it surely wasn’t the music: Quincy’s eponymous 1980 LP is an unjustly forgotten classic of the era, equal parts devastating pop hooks and unbridled youthful enthusiasm. Rather than taking the injustice of it all personally, brothers Stephen and Brian Butler soldiered on in the music business, ultimately returning in the guise of Smash Palace. Over the course of their existence, Smash Palace has proudly held aloft the gauntlet passed to them by Quincy. The lion’s share of the credit goes to the Butler brothers’ razor sharp songwriting skills, particularly their ability to meld soaring pop melodies to clever (yet never cloying) lyrics--pure pop for non-brain dead people, if you will. The straightforwardly-titled Best of ‘99-‘06 compiles the very best tracks from the band’s recorded oeuvre. The uptempo numbers, such as “Thinking About Her,� “Steal Her Thunder,� or “Try,� recall such proto-pop luminaries as Fountains of Wayne, Fastball, and Chris von Sneidern. A remake of Quincy’s stealthily sinister “Dime Store Lies� invokes the spirit of Split Enz at their prime, while “My New Sensation� sounds like Dwight Twilley doing “Paperback Writer.� On the twangy “Juliet to Me,� Stephen Butler’s and rhythm guitarist DyAnne DiSalvo’s voices intertwine and rise heavenward; if that moment alone isn’t enough to make Smash Palace huge, the fault is ours, not theirs.
Rick Schadelbauer
Release date: August 8, 2006
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