TUGBOAT "Patches Of Land" CD
Tempe five-some Tugboat are quite an anomaly in today's You Asked For It game -- a rare effort from a band that, when I tell my peers about the record, I don't have to be six beers deep, lamenting why it is I do these columns. Previous You Asked For It albums have led me to question the existence of a higher being, and Tugboat is a rare band that makes me feel like there is something out there watching over us. Rocket science Patches of Land is not, and I like that. It's an odd feeling to be in an actual good mood after listening to a local band's record, but Tugboat have earned every amount of my respect with this EP. The title track sounds like mid-to-late-'90s alternative rock in all the right ways. Lead singer Wayne Jones vocals remind me of Todd Lewis (lead singer of The Toadies) with, perhaps, a lighter feel to them. While I take issue with often wiener-y sounding alternative/indie rock lead singers, Jones gets a pass because his band's music is enjoyable. There are elements in Tugboat's music of what made that '90s alternative sound so affable, complete with some keys to help add that extra edge to their sound -- and the keys in 'Patches of Land,' mixed with an occasional grungy power chord, help make the band sound like '90s shoegazers/space rockers Failure, even if for a few precious seconds. A- -Phoenix New Times.
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