Skooshny

Album Review

With both sides of their single, their 1978 EP, and 11 previously unreleased songs from 1975-1981, this is the definitive summary of this obscure (even by cult standards) band's first incarnation. It would have been nice if the otherwise detailed liner notes made it clear which songs were unreleased and on which vinyl the other tracks originally appeared. Skooshny occupied a very odd niche in the nebulous mid-to-late '70s underground: folk-rock, but not nearly slick enough to pass for major label product; indebted to the 1960s, but not nearly as strong melodically as, say, the Byrds (often noted as an influence on the band) or Love; and lacking the punk or new wave edge that might have put them into the paisley underground. Their brooding, often sluggish songs were more quirky lyrically than musically, relying on easy-on-the-ear but unmemorable folky chord changes. Guitarist/songwriter/singer Mark Breyer's reedy voice is an acquired taste: something like a folk-rock Graham Parker, a mixture that doesn't really take. Matters get more interesting on a few cuts on which they add more paisley colors, like "Dessert for Two" (with its flute) and "You Cracked My Code" (with celestial organ).