A few years before
Sub Pop made Seattle the new Capitol of the Rock & Roll Universe,
the Young Fresh Fellows were the first indie band from the Emerald City to make a significant noise outside the Northwest, and they were a profound distance from the coming grunge explosion when they cut their first album, 1984's
The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest. While the
YFF sounded lively enough on their first LP, they were still getting the elements of their sound in place, and the presence of acoustic guitar on several tunes makes it sometimes sound like their attempt to do something approximating folk-rock. The
Fellows would get a lot tighter and rock significantly harder a few years down the line, and the fact they were still a trio when they recorded this probably has a lot to do with the relatively thin attack, but most of what made them cult heroes and critics' darlings is present and accounted for: great hooky melodies, lyrics that were witty but stopped just short of goofy (mostly from the pen of
Scott McCaughey), and a vibe that made clear they loved rock & roll while having the good sense not to take it too seriously. Drummer
Tad Hutchinson was already a spirited presence behind the drums, and if
McCaughey clearly deserved to be on guitar rather than bass, he adds a melodic bottom end that fits these songs well. And if "Rock 'n' Roll Pest Control," "Teenage Dogs in Trouble," and "Power Mowers Theme" might suggest these guys were a joke band, "You Call That Lonely" and "Think Better of Me" proved they knew how and when to wise up. While
the Young Fresh Fellows didn't burst out of the gate with a triumph like their kindred spirits
the Replacements did with
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash,
The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest captures their talent and idiosyncrasies quite well, and it more than gets by on charm and solid songcraft. ~ Mark Deming
