Fluoxetine
Two Weeks & Holidays
Reviewed by Greg Beets, Fri., Nov. 7, 2008
Fluoxetine
Two Weeks & HolidaysDespite being named for the generic form of Prozac, Fluoxetine exhibits none of its moniker's medicinal properties. Which isn't to say there's no therapeutic virtue in the local quartet's warm, jagged barroom rock augmented by flashes of Neil Young guitar immolation, crisp AM radio pop, and ad hoc philosophical wordplay. Much of Two Weeks & Holidays is offered in a spirit that alternates between commiseration and resilience. "Reclaim Your Vices" channels Rust Never Sleeps as frontman Ryan Morris unleashes a pained indictment of genteel indifference. By contrast, McCartney-style gem "I Think It's Gonna Rain" is a finger-popping exercise in making the best of bad things. Ace lead guitarist Landis Armstrong (McLemore Avenue, Small Stars) crosses Mark Knopfler's flow with the high desert tone of Giant Sand as he tears through "In This Room." If forging a compelling sound from the sum of its influences isn't enough to cinch the deal, Fluoxetine also goes great with domestic beer.