Scott Miller's final album with
Game Theory suggested he was trying to iron out a few of the quirks in his musical personality, but five years later the debut album from his new group, Loud Family, found Miller's eccentricities taking center stage alongside his hooky and uniquely melodic pop songs. Anyone who loved
Game Theory's
Big Star-influenced smart pop will delight in
Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things, as Miller's uncanny way with a hook remains unsurpassed, though Loud Family rocks harder than
Game Theory and as players they're stronger than any of
Game Theory's lineups. Those who loved the loopy montage of
Game Theory's most ambitious album, Lolita Nation, will be pleased to note that Miller and producer
Mitch Easter allow themselves plenty of room here for the incongruous, including the warped vocal samples of "Don't Thank Me All at Once," the darkly witty ranting of "Spot the Setup," and the bizarre split-channel effects of "Ballad of How You Can All Shut Up." And while Miller once called his songs with
Game Theory "young-adult-hurt-feeling-athons," here hurt gets co-star billing with rage, anger, paranoia, and self-destructive angst; thematically,
Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things slips into a lyrical darkness far deeper than
Game Theory at its moodiest, making this pure pop for those who have a good time being unhappy.
Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things was as strong as anything in Scott Miller's catalog, but it also made clear that Loud Family was going to push the outer edges of power pop harder than
Game Theory; those who like their pop with a sharp citrus bite will find it highly refreshing, but those who prefer sweetness might want to program out a few cuts. ~ Mark Deming