to the americans Luna They weren’t quite taken seriously at the time: too academic for the (few) Galaxie 500 fans, too cool, sober and intellectual for the burgeoning wave of Britpop, they left a kindly anomaly that gained some attention in Europe, not both in a United States where subtleties do not always find their audience.
The stupendous numbered reissue of their 1992 debut on double vinyl accompanied by the demos and a single of the moment, vindicates them. It often happens when time takes care of separating grain from chaff. It is true that the imprint of their influences, with the minimalist arty and classic pop of the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed at the forefront, could be a bit excessive, but they were not fooling anyone either. In addition, its classic and not strident sound went against the current of the zeitgeist of the moment.
The point is that “Theme park”, edited by Elektra (it was the time when the greats tried their luck with alternative groups: the fever did not last long) is full of incentives. Conceived by Dean Wareham in a trio format, the album included the illustrious production of drummer and producer Fred Maher, responsible for the great sound of Lou Reed classics such as “New York” the 1989. And “Theme park” we also find some illustrious collaboration, like that of Grashopper (Mercury Rev). But the main thing is the songs. Twelve timeless tracks in which Wareham established himself as a notable composer of lysergic indie pop with one foot in the past and the other in the future, building bridges between indie and a timeless rock classicism embodied in classics from the band’s repertoire such as “Anesthesia” and its soft melancholic melodies.
Anyone looking for internal notes or clues about the genesis of the New Yorkers’ debut will be frustrated, because there is nothing beyond the credits. But the music holds up perfectly, and that’s what matters.