Bus Stop's long-awaited reissue of
Allen Clapp's 1994 solo debut
One Hundred Percent Chance of Rain reveals the origins of the pure-pop mastery that bloomed with the emergence of his band the Orange Peels three years later. Though released at the peak of the lo-fi boom, the album's four-track approach is a product of necessity, not design, and with the benefit of hindsight, it's clear
Clapp's crisp, catchy songs deserve far better realization than these solo recordings offer -- compare "Something Strange Happens," arguably his finest moment to date, with the re-recorded version on the Orange Peels' Square LP and it becomes immediately obvious just how much a full backing band and a proper studio brings the material to life. What nothing can obscure is the breezy infectiousness of
Clapp's melodies, however; the title to the contrary,
One Hundred Percent Chance of Rain, reels off one sunny pop gem after another. Bonus points for the lead track, "Why Sting Is Such an Idiot" -- best title ever.