BILL JANOVITZ & CROWN VICTORIA
Fireworks on TV!
(Q Division)
US release date: 7 September 2004
UK release date: Available as import
by Zeth Lundy
Taillights Intensify
It's been 10 years since Buffalo Tom made its bid for some semblance of mainstream
notoriety with Big Red Letter Day . Sadly, the band never became a household
name despite earning accolades as a masthead in the early '90s' modern rock
movement. Buffalo Tom was an omnipresent constant in Boston, and regardless
of what other bands would claim, was the unofficial representation of that city's
sound. The band refined the slacker rock of Dinosaur Jr., had a knack for the
Lemonheads' hooks, and kept a finger on the pulse of Boston's working class.
For those who listened, Buffalo Tom was a deeply personal band that spread universal
emotions over tight, livewire choruses. After an impressive run of six records
over ten years, Buffalo Tom went on an indefinite hiatus; its uneven swan song
(for now, at least), Smitten (1998), documented a tired band in search of a
much-needed rest.
Buffalo Tom's lead singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz has since gone it alone, releasing
two folksy and stripped-down solo records: 1997's Lonesome Billy and 2001's
Up Here . While the records were an admirable departure from Buffalo Tom's muscular
rock, neither put Janovitz under his strongest spotlight: the leader of a visceral
rock combo.
Janovitz's new Fireworks on TV! is a long-awaited and
welcome return to the husky rock of his past. Recorded a few years back during
the final days of Fort Apache Studios (Boston's answer to Abbey Road) with backing
band Crown Victoria (Phil Aiken on keyboards, Tom Polce on drums, Josh Lattanzi
on bass), Fireworks on TV! is not so much a time capsule as it is a warming
echo. The album's set of 15 songs recalls the glory days of Big Red Letter Day
, but it never retreads them. Crown Victoria is a band cut from a distinctly
different cloth, a little more loose and carefree than Buffalo Tom's airtight
uniformity.
Fireworks on TV! opens with the methodical haze burn-off of "One, Two,
Three", a song that blends the melodic sensibilities of Buffalo Tom with
the darker recesses of the Twilight Singers. The song's story -- charting a
woman's mysterious disappearance - easily speaks to the longing ache in Janovitz's
graveled voice: "She probably drinks a glass of beer / A thousand miles
away from here / Or maybe she is underneath the sea". Crown Victoria digs
deep into the song's chorus (what could be referred to as the prototypical "Janovitz
chorus") and harvests it from the roots.
Not surprisingly, Fireworks on TV! 's best songs are
those that crackle and smolder with Janovitz's peerless energy. "Almost
Beating", with its hammered-on strums, rollicking tempo, and tambourine
trills, is an audible telegraph from Janovitz's salad days. "Sinking"
and "Florida" are raging gems, schooled in an exasperating, unrelenting
force. The propulsion of "Believe" is invigorating, the band running
the impossibly infectious chorus ragged, dragging its simple refrain until entirely
spent. "Revealed" is a volatile kiss-off, mixing its indignation in
a thick, fiery rock stomp: "Instead you'll tear apart / The fragments of
a diseased heart / And try to pick my brains a bit / But I won't give you the
benefit". (Lattanazi's bass has this intriguing moment where it slides
from an unexpected note to its intended note; at first it sounds like a mistake,
but upon repetition is revealed as something more than that. It's quite cool
to hear.)
The mood is softened a few times, most notably in the acoustic-based title track.
Among the chorus' country harmonies and some sublime imagery ("Out in the
halogen / I saw our story end"), Janovitz muses on representations of truth
and perception: "All these things are ours to see / They're like fireworks
on TV / They show reality / But not so vividly". The song is repeated in
its electric, "basement" form as the album's closer, but it's much
more effective as an acoustic strummer and offers a nice offset to its electrified
companion tracks.
The album's minor flaw is its length; 15 songs at a little over an hour stretch
good intentions a bit far. But that can't be harped on for too long, for such
a large selection of songs is surely intended as a gift to the fans, who have
eagerly awaited a wealth of Janovitz rockers. To those who have sat impatiently,
wondering if Janovitz would ever reclaim his rock and roll spirit: rejoice in
the staggering vitality of Fireworks on TV! . For those who are new to Janovitz's
talents, here's as good a place to start as any.