From the blistering opening statement of purpose, the perfectly descriptive "Scatter My Ashes On The New Jersey Turnpike", McCall's love for (and, at the same time, jaded view of) his state is front and center....McCall clearly doesn't take himself t [+]From the blistering opening statement of purpose, the perfectly descriptive "Scatter My Ashes On The New Jersey Turnpike", McCall's love for (and, at the same time, jaded view of) his state is front and center....McCall clearly doesn't take himself too seriously: "Dancing to Architecture" references the ironic comparison (variously attributed to Elvis Costello and Frank Zappa) that dismissed writing about music as being akin to the song's titular activity. In addition to a nice set of female backing vocals, the song sports a horn line that helps to make the outro chorus transcendent. Other standouts include the dismissive "Go Back To West New York", in which a disco beat underpins a solid synth-pop structure; the nerd-prog "The Man From Nantucket"; the take-no-shit honest rant "Another Public Service Announcement" (which should be adopted as the official anthem of New Jersey's anti-littering effort post-haste; and the pure '80s synth-channeling of "Night Bus". How good is this album? It's almost good enough to make me get up from my comfortable Brooklyn couch and go check out Jersey City. Almost. And folks, that's saying something." -- Brett McCallon, *Splendid*
With *Shootout At The Sugar Factory*, the militantly pro-Jersey Tris McCall has made one of the strangest and most beguiling indie records of the year. North Jersey's favorite son offers "ten musical impressions of Hudson County," and each one is smile-inducing power pop from the Scott Miller school thereof--no shock, since Miller produced Tris' last record. "A Commuter's Prayer" is a painfully realistic sketch of life in the NYC area post-9/11. "Every night I walk out to the Palisade/Just to check on the city and make sure it's ok," McCall sings, managing to make civic pride and responsibility sound like the punkest thing to come along since spitting on people. While the keyboard-heavy arrangements recall Missing Persons and Berlin at times, it also sounds like there is a closet prog-rock fan hidden in there somewhere, especially on album opener "Scatter My Ashes On The New Jersey Turnpike." A major album from a major D.I.Y. talent. -- Mike Cimicata, *Hoboken Rock City*
Favorite TV shows: I think Tris might catch VH-1 during their Remember-the-'80s video collections. "The Night Bus" nicks the
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