Masonic
Never Stood a Chance (Tight Spot) When they debuted last spring, Austin’s Masonic was almost immediately stamped with the retro tag, which with six months’ worth of hindsight now seems a trifle premature. Yes, there are unmistakable traces of the Eighties in Kevin Mason’s swirling Moog and the churning guitars that form the framework for the nine songs of Never Stood a Chance, but the album as a whole registers best as a melancholic example of contemporary indie pop — an ideal tonic for anyone left cold by the more cloying Belle & Sebastian and Death Cab for Cutie. The songs are all of a piece, substituting subtle shadings for stylistic mood swings as Jennifer Christen’s misleadingly sedate vocals mesh with the band’s buoyant if decidedly minor-key melodies. Where future albums will hopefully find Masonic exploring this intriguing formula in greater depth, for now, it works just fine, from the serrated “Brand New Day” — thankfully not a Sting cover — to the dreamier “Satellite Tonight” and “Way Down Avenue.” All in all, a suitable soundtrack for a weekend of clubbing (one song is even titled “Friday Night Song”) where awkwardness, exhilaration, and abandon converge amid the clinking glasses and sultry glances. 
This article appears in November 16 • 2001.