Some records contain a specific moment by which the whole is judged as a result. An entire album can sometimes hang in the balance of a lunkheaded lyric or ham-fisted intro -- or conversely, a supremely powerful guitar riff or exceptionally catchy vocal melody. Peter Parker's 1999 full-length debut, Migliore!, is one such record. Barely three minutes in, singer/guitarist Matthew Parker rattles the vocal distortion meter when he brashly shouts on "W.Y.W.H.": "Shut up!!/You haven't got a thing to say!!" What little subtlety remains at that early point in Migliore! is forcibly tossed out the window, as bassist Mona Parker's luscious counterpoint vocals and Steve Parker's barnstorming drum onslaught help fill the void that Superchunk created when Mac McCaughan started singing falsetto more often than not in the late '90s. Produced by Seattle man about town John Goodmanson (whose previous production credits include Sleater-Kinney's Dig Me Out and Harvey Danger's Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?), Migliore! sports more summits than the Olympic Mountains, from the buzzing, 97-second sucker punch "Eliot" and the California-baiting sonic pipe bomb "Goldenstate" to the overdriven ultra-pop of "Kickdrum." Although Migliore!'s clear priority is unpretentious merriment at maximum volume, the neighbors call the cops halfway through the record on "Bender" ("Turn down the party/Don't want to hear that now"); the bash is eventually broken up by the time the resigned closer, "Hate for Hesitation," rolls around, complete with weepy cello and an unhurried tempo. But there's enough melodic fuzz on Migliore!'s 11 other songs to carpet the punk-pop floors of millions, with the gloriously extended intro to the album's penultimate track, "Next Summer (Will Be My Last)," serving as the greatest big muff-fest of all. Peter Parker has plenty of things to say on the band's magnificently fuzz-laden debut, and no lint brush can ruin the party.
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