Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/20/2002
Here is another charming, lightweight collection of
psychedelic pop from people affiliated with
Elephant 6. Fans of bands such as
the Apples in Stereo and
the Olivia Tremor Control may find
The Distance Between whimsical and melodic, while those who dislike the aforementioned bands may find this album self-indulgent and precious. Listeners who fall in between these two camps are likely to find the album quite agreeable but somewhat short on original ideas and good new songs, particularly since the best songs (although not necessarily the best performances) on this album are the cover versions. One of the covers is
"This Will Be Our Year," which was originally recorded by
the Zombies; they seem to be one of the major influences on
Great Lakes, who indicate on tracks such as
"Now Is When" that they have probably listened to
Odessey & Oracle a few times. Of course,
The Distance Between isn't as good as that classic album, and nobody in
Great Lakes has the vocal personality of
Colin Blunstone, but at least they have good taste. Their cover of
Mike Nesmith's
"Some of Shelley's Blues" sounds peppier and less
country-ish than the original, and most of the other tracks on this album are also rather sprightly, although
"Conquistadors" would have benefited from a shorter running time. The lyrics seem to fit the band's sunshiny
psychedelic haze as the band sings about "days of golden rays". There's not much depth here and the songs aren't necessarily going to lodge themselves in your brain after repeated listening, but it's still quite pleasant overall.
~Todd Kristel, All Music Guide
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