Ten years ago, an act like Nedelle & Thom might have milked its love of professional 60s pop as pure hotel-lounge irony chic, good for a chuckle but never without a smirk to let you know they're in on the joke. In 2004, however, Nedelle & Thom sound not at all ironic, but rather very serious and sincere on their debut Summerland, whose flowery pop blooms with bright melodies and summery harmonies meant to offset the dark bitterness of their lyrics about romantic turmoil and disappointment.
Nedelle is an Oakland musician who released her solo debut, Republic of Two, on Kimchee Records last year. Playing Sonny to her Cher is Thom Moore, who is one half of The Moore Brothers. They founded their friendship and eventually the group on their mutual love of Burt Bacharach. He plays guitar and some keyboard; she sings. Rounding out the group (on Summerland, at least) is the rhythm section from Boston-based Karate.
On the album's opener, "You Take Me You Break Me", Nedelle sings about romantic betrayal and public humiliation-- her guy shows up at her party with another girl-- but her voice sparkles with such precise, prismatic clarity that it becomes a fed-up anthem. 10 uniformly chipper ditties follow, only two of which exceed three happy-go-lucky minutes. The wistful "In Time It Snows" and the plaintive "Care for Me" have nice moments-- a catchy chorus or genuinely lovelorn lyrics-- and Thom's guitar adds simple but effective flourishes to "It's Up to You".
However, most of the time, Nedelle & Thom get lost in their own nostalgia. On tracks like "You Know", "Sun in My Eyes", and the unfortunately titled "Puddle at Your Toes", they try to re-create a particular sound down to a tee, even though they seem to realize they'll never match the silkiness of Dionne Warwick or the naturalism of Burt Bacharach's arrangements. At times, Nedelle & Thom sound as if their ultimate aim is mere mimicry, as if they were painters copying the Old Masters brushstroke by brushstroke. Unfortunately, their color palette is garish and their technique only underscores the distance between their abilities and their inspirations. As a result, these songs sound more like Captain & Tennille than Brill Building pop.
When they do try to imprint themselves on the music, Nedelle & Thom come across as aloof and elusive, with an insularity that stops just short of smugness. Like the masks they wear on the album cover, they use their slavish devotion to their source material to conceal themselves. If Summerland were part of some ironic joke, at least it would be trying to connect with an audience. For all their earnestness, Nedelle & Thom sound like they're singing just for and to themselves-- an inside joke between two friends or a guess-you-had-to-be-there story.
