Household Names

Stories, No Names

The bane of modern-day pop purists like Austin’s Household Names is never being able to transcend the sum of the genre’s most venerated influences. To the local vets’ credit, the only obvious name-check on Stories, No Names is a swell version of XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel.” Otherwise, it’s a bumper crop of meticulously crafted, heart-on-sleeve pop confessionals that brim with maturity. Too often, it’s the kind of maturity that scrubs spontaneous instincts into submission, however. As a result, a promising would-be single like “Driving to LA” arrives wanting for flesh and blood to draw its star-crossed characters out. Similarly, “Live Without” addresses the collective condition, but its polish obscures the universal chord. “Definitely” is a bright spot with its slow-building, horn-accented climax, and frontman Jason Garcia’s Robin Zander-caliber vocals cinch the flanged-out, open sky sound of “My Sweet Day.”

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This article appears in August 13 • 2010.

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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets.