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After the release of their first album,
Medeiros, Massachusetts-based band Wheat weren't sure if they would release--or even record--a follow up. It's fortunate for everyone, then, that they did:
Hope And Adams, their second album, is a masterpiece. Produced by Dave Fridmann--who previously worked on such modern classics as Mercury Rev's
Deserter's Songs and the Flaming Lips
The Soft Bulletin--
Hope And Adams is suffused with an understated elegance, at once melancholy and exhilarating. Like
Pavement, Wheat eschew traditional song structures, but their songs are often more melodic and tender, leaning towards the emotional as opposed to the strictly cerebral. Furthermore, instead of the surreal, meandering vocals by many of their wilfully lo-fi contemporaries, Wheat's lyrics are heartfelt and thoughtful (especially on tracks "San Diego" and "Off The Pedestal"). Frontman Scott Levesque's vocals are often reminiscent of
Radiohead's Thom Yorke in their delivery, simultaneously implying depths of yearning and heights of optimism, while drummer Brendan Harney and guitarist Ricky Brennan alternately ground the songs or cause them to soar, capturing and expanding the mood. In a year of great music,
Hope And Adams is one of 1999's best releases.
--Robert Burrow