Commercials

  • Commercials
  • Compare and Decide (Eat) 1980 

“Imperfect records for an imperfect world” proclaims the back cover of Compare and Decide, an indication of the solemnity that Loyd and Neal Grossman bring to their work: they’d probably be offended if anyone dared take them seriously. The Massachusetts duo turns terminal Anglophilia into an asset: Loyd sings like a charmingly inebriated Ray Davies, and the flippant tunes (e.g., “I’m So Heavy Metal,” “El Disco Es Cultura”) rock along with delightful insouciance. The Commercials do a giddy version of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia,” too. Recorded (natch) in London.

[Jon Young]