MiNsTeR HiLL

Album Review

Calling all XTC fans! Is two LPs a decade too little? Here's a humble protégé snack to wile away those in between-meals. This New Jersey band is actually one Howard Herrick, whose sunny-pop confections, and especially the baroque hiccup of his straining high voice, are replicas of Andy Partridge's work in the early-to-mid '80s. It recalls singles such as "Senses Working Overtime," "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," and "All You Pretty Girls." Like that English Settlement/Mummer/Big Express blueprint, Herrick's not energized enough to be new wave, nor '60s enough to be retro, but lies somewhere in that middle place, where shy lads sing like chirping birds at all the elegance and sobriety life throws. Perhaps the production is lower-budget than that of his hero's work, but there's minor, fresh-faced appeal. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide