For people who have followed Face To Face over the years, it sure is wonderful to hear the familiar vocals of Trever Keith once again. As the blitzkrieg of opening track “Cross Your Heart And Hope To Die” blasts from the stereo it feels like a warm embrace from a long lost friend. Melancholics Anonymous is Keith’s unfortunately titled solo debut. Thankfully, the album sheds the singer/songwriter tag, instead going for a full band approach the majority of the time.
It becomes apparent half-way through Melancholics Anonymous that the album owes a great deal to Face To Face’s most controversial release. The ill-received 1999 album, Ignorance Is Bliss, was the band’s attempt to move out of from under the melodic pop/punk constraints. The album was seen as a failure at the time by many fans. So much so that the band let the fans pick the songs for the next record which was sarcastically titled, Reactionary. Through the subsequent years though, Ignorance Is Bliss has won quite a few Face To Face fans over, including myself. And fans of that album and Face To Face in general should find a lot to love in finally hearing Keith again on Melancholics Anonymous.
If you study Face To Face’s excellent covers album, 2001’s Standards & Practices, you can really see where the band’s influences were birthed. On that album, the band covered artists as diverse as Jawbreaker and Fugazi to The Smiths and The Psychedelic Furs. On Melancholics Anonymous those influences become even more apparent. The hints of British pop are coated all over Keith’s solo debut. Perhaps the most telling cover of Standards & Practices is Sugar’s “Helpless.” Bob Mould who had previously fronted melodic punk band Hüsker Dü moved into more accessible waters with Sugar’s finely coated pop rock. Keith emulates that movement here as he settles into a successful groove of pop bombast mixed with brit-pop tenderness. It results in an album chock full of alt-rock nuggets.
Despite Face To Face’s recent reunion shows, Melancholics Anonymous prove that Trever Keith will be just fine when he finally decides to leave Face To Face completely in his past. Granted, if you never liked Face To Face then you might want to move on before you start. But, if you ever had a soft spot for the band then you should at least give Keith’s Melancholics Anonymous a try. It might just surprise you.
Genre: Indie/Alternative/Rock
RIYL: Face To Face, Bob Mould, Samiam
Label: Self-Released
Cross Your Heart And Hope To Die
1crossyourheartandhopetodie.mp3
Half Asleep
7halfasleep.mp3
Kenley Young hails from my hometown of Columbia, SC and Standard Candle is his full-length debut. The album flaunts a wide range of influences from alternative rock to indie rock to the ghosts of college rock. For the most part Standard Candle keeps a slower to mid-tempo pace and that would be the lone detriment here. Young captures your attention but struggles in keeping it at times. When Young picks up the guitars and the volume things tend to get more interesting. Songs like “How To Bite Down”, “Turn Me” and “It’s Over When I Say So” are muscular power pop gems that would make Bob Mould crack a grin. I can only hope that Young indulges himself in those temptations more often in the future. And speaking of college radio I can hear the ghosts of Toad The Wet Sprocket all over Standard Candle and it works for the most part. Young does a nice job of retaining his own musical evolution while actually connecting those influences. All the while he keeps it simple and maintains a tried and true formula. Because of that Standard Candle does exactly what a debut should…it leaves you wanting to hear what’s next. Well done. 
