OK, I'll step in here.  As previous posters have said,
the second studio record from Frisbie, seven years
after the first, and aptly titled 'New Debut,' is a
good bit different from The Subversive Sounds of Love.
 In terms of the power pop descriptor, this one is
somewhat heavier on the power than the pop, although
there are still plentiful hooks and harmonies.  It's
just more of a rock record.  

As much as I love 'Vertigogo' from the debut, the
radio-unfriendly 'SFB' has usurped it as a
show-closing powerhouse, building to a frenzy, and
then slamming the door, the hook sticking in your head
for days.  More on the pure pop side is 'Lather,'
which showcases Steve Frisbie's sweetest vocal
stylings and dares you NOT to sing along with its
"do-do-do-do-do" chorus. And even though I'm still a
sucker for the original Harry Nillsson-styled workout
of Liam Davis' 'Yes Impossible,' which has been around
since before TSSOL came out, the new, rocked-up
version on the album is another winner.

'New Debut' keeps the energy fairly high throughout,
lacking ballads and midtempo numbers like the previous
record's 'Martha' and crowd-fave 'Pollyanna,' but it
does continue TSSOL's stylistic explorations.  'Shame
On' recalls 'The Shuffle' in its good-natured
encompassing of several decades worth of musical
styles, while on 'The Main Complaint,' Steve Frisbie
employs a falsetto that draws equally from Prince and
Paul Stanley against a slinky, guitar-heavy backdrop.

Both singers still sound great, sometimes one or the
other out front alone, at other times, their vocals
melding seamlessly.  Drummer Gerald Dowd is an able
replacement for the troubled Zack Kantor, with a style
that is simultaneously muscular and lyrical. 
Likewise, Matt Thompson not only contributes some fine
bass playing, filling the role previously occupied by
Eddie Carlson, he also produced 'New Debut,' which
generally has a richer, fuller, more organic sound
than TSSOL.   

I don't love every song on 'New Debut,' and the
choices made in the running order seems a bit odd to
me (don't neglect what in days of yore would've been
"side two"), but overall, this second album from
Frisbie doesn't disappoint, and the live show still is
something to behold.  They're out on the road in the
midwest right now; if they come to your town, don't
miss 'em.

--Shawn


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