Lucy’s Fur Coat

  • Lucy's Fur Coat
  • Jaundice (Relativity) 1994 

Five suburban guys from San Diego get together to play catchy blue-collar rock. Fusing a little influence from neighbors Rocket From the Crypt and employing manic frontman Charlie Ware, Lucy’s Fur Coat moves from an average local band to a solid songwriting force in just a couple of years, signs to Relativity, releases Jaundice and then breaks up a year later. So it goes. Electrified by great dual-guitar energy and melodies (Mike Santos and Tony Sanfilippo) and bubbling rhythms (drummer Scott Bauer and bassist Rob Brown), Jaundice veers from antic, radio-friendly pop (“Treasure Hands”) to mid-’80s rock (“Easy” sounds like it belongs on a Screaming Trees disc). “Southern Cookin’,” “Falling Out” and “Sensor” sum up the guitar’s critical role in the San Diego scene — Sanfilippo and Santos deliver buoyant, driving riffs and infectious, hooky fills. Meanwhile, “Super” connects with an anthemic, joyous attack. A solid mix of hard rock and indie ethics.

[Mark Woodlief]