The American People
Texas Platters
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., Jan. 24, 2003
The American PeopleThought We Could (Plethorazine)
Any fan of Austin music knows that if a band counts Hunter Darby among its numbers, it's a good one. And so it is with American People. Sure, Darby, who also plays in the Wannabes, Shoulders, Dumptruck, and the Diamond Smugglers among others, only plays bass and sings once in a while. But he looks the part, and that's important in a group like the American People, where everything really isn't what it seems. Lead by former Austinite Mike McCoy, the People sing about corporate theft, religious faith and doubt, and a live-in girlfriend's hangover. Then there's "Horizontal Boom Boom." Yup. While some of the songs on this, the People's second disc, glisten with the same party sheen and cheesy keyboards as the Fleshtones and the Lyres, they're tempered with a twisted, infectious sense of humor and flat-out rock. Highlights include storming set opener "Faith," the Central European folk-influenced "The Gypsy Problem," which features Meat Purveyor Pete Stiles on mandolin, and a high-stepping Germanic rocker called "Gutentag." Perhaps you don't think you could stomach a steady diet of such insanity, but one only wishes that half the bands and albums out there were as much fun as the American People and Thought We Could.