It took what seemed like forever, but six years after they were all recorded, more or less, the various tracks by
John Reis' nearly solo, mostly instrumental side project finally surfaced as a self-titled album. The couple of cuts that had already popped up on compilation releases reappeared here along with the rest, making for ten tracks of fine
Reis goodness. The appearance of horns on "Trivial Pursuit" (some played by
Jason Crane, otherwise the
Back Off Cupids' drummer and only other member) inevitably calls
Rocket From the Crypt to mind, but the
Back Off Cupids are hardly
Rocket redux. Neither is this simply
Drive Like Jehu part two -- instead,
Reis here emphasizes a generally quieter but no less tense approach, spiked with just enough aggressive energy to remind a listener that this is the guy partially responsible for modern epics like "Luau!" Certainly opening cut "Meek Inherits Space" has a subtle, threatening build, his overdubbed guitars and
Crane's drumming feeling, indeed, like something taking off into the heavens. From there
Reis tries out a variety of moods, from the percussionless chimes and moods which begin "Now We're Asian" to the exultant, anthemic conclusion of "I'm Stolen," with its main drive there provided as much by keyboards as guitar. At points the music is almost a complete turnaround from
Reis' other work -- consider the rumbling, structured speaker hum and sweet, sad aura of "Can You Hear My Sleep Dog?," a standout track. Perhaps the most telling thing about the
Back Off Cupids is that while at points one can imagine either
Reis or
Drive Like Jehu's
Rick Froberg singing over all the songs instead of just
Reis here and there, the tunes still easily stand on their own. There's no better testament to
Reis' skill and abilities.