No Wait Wait! Too Late
No Wait Wait!
That's exactly what I wanted to say when I found that the band I'd recently discovered has already broken up. Ironically, that's the name of the band.
This foursome from Duluth, Minnesota, fronted by Marc Gartman (vocals, guitar), with Russell Sackett (vocals, keyboards), Steve Garrington (bass), and Eric Pollard (vocals, drums) formed No Wait Wait in 2003 but had an eventful 2006 that included releasing their second CD, About You and deciding to go their separate ways. That is unfortunate because in my opinion this lineup had a great deal of potential.
Play "Amends" and think of the Beatles (one of their influences) with the raw darkness of Cop Shoot Cop. Lots of drum, bass, and synth here. "Faith and Words" and "Beaches of the World" recall early R.E.M. "Roses" adds piano and tambourine to a loping beat. "Lost in the Bottle" is another winner. "The Score" has a sinuous synthesizer riff and an upbeat melody. I like all of these so much I had difficulty narrowing down my choices.
My favorite is definitely "Don't Give Up" with its insistent rhythms and Indians-in-warpaint bass. I especially like the lyric change at the end of each verse, which demonstrates a higher level of imagination than usual. A songwriter of limited skill will take a single good line and ride it into the ground. Not so here, and each version adds its own nuance:
Hopefully this is not the last we'll hear from No Wait Wait or Marc Gartman. The group recorded a third album before the breakup, and with any luck they will release those tracks. Meanwhile, get into these and go get more.
From About You (2006)
Don't Give Up (On Your Man)
Amends
From No Wait Wait (2005)
Beaches of the World
Roses
No Wait Wait on MySpace
Buy at iTunes and emusic
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