Shadowy Men: Now (August 2-8, 1990)
"Shadowy Men cut cool debut"

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Savvy Show Stoppers (Cargo) Rating: NNNN

Surfer rock trio Shadowy Men, an ambiguous, faceless and fun band on the local scene, have come a long way in a short time. Once merely a novelty act, with their instrumental screeches and marked similarities to 60s outfits like the Ventures, they slowly built up credibility, became better players, expanded their stable of original songs and emerged with a sense of identity all their own.

And nowhere is the metamorphosis from still band to serious band with silly sensibilities more apparent than on the group's first long-player, Savvy Show Stoppers, a singles compilation LP including their most famous track, the theme from TV comedy show The Kids in the Hall.

Campy, fast, rough and irreverent, Show Stoppers is exactly like seeing the band live, only with better sound. One half expects Frankie and Annette to come bounding through the living room. Yet there's an inexplicable and unyielding appeal to the garish moan of an electric guitar and the brutish pluck of the bass. Members Reid Diamond, Brian Connelly, and Donald Pyle come off sounding absolutely sincere, even though they probably hate hearing that. This is really great, spontaneous, unpretentious party music.

-Kim Hughes

(Note: Four Ns equates to "solid addition to any record collection")

Contributor

•  Trista Lycosky