In the 1980s, when other Americans were rediscovering the Stooges and spawning grunge, Ric Menck and Paul Chastain aped the Byrds, the Beatles and the flirtatious whimpering of the early Creation Records roster. Thus, Velvet Crush's unashamedly gorgeous 1991 debut couldn't have been more inappropriately timed. Like their contemporaries the Posies and forebears Big Star, Velvet Crush are a hugely likeable proposition who somehow find themselves saddled with the "cult act" tag. Stereo Blues, their third album after a mid-1990s lay-off, leans harder on the guitar effects pedals than the light and fluffy records that failed to make the band's name first time around. Though a midlife crisis perhaps impels them to act like the axe heroes they clearly aren't, Velvet Crush can't smother their innate aptitude for classic guitar pop.
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