antiMUSIC - The Music Site with an Attitude!

The Tories
bestsideofgreat
by Keavin Wiggins

"If I was on fire/would you notice?" With that question the Tories return triumphantly with their long anticipated sophomore album, upsideofdown.

Packed with rich harmonies, melodic guitars, seductive rhythm section, and thought provoking lyrics, "upsideofdown" gives long time fans a healthy dose of what made them fall in love with this band in the first place and paves the way for the diehard fans of the future to join the musical odyssey that is the Tories.

It is hard to determine what is the bigger story here. Is it the addictive sounds of their music or the fierce independence of this band?

The Tories formed in 1995 and quickly built a loyal following on the L.A. club circuit. Two years later they burst onto the national music scene after legendary producer Phil Ramone discovered their potent mix of harmonies and guitar driven rock songs. Ramone knew a good thing when he heard it, so he signed The Tories to his newly established indy record label, N2K Encoded Music, which released their debut album a short time later. That highly acclaimed debut "Wonderful Life" came across as a breath of fresh air during an era when the music scene had been dominated for most of the 90's by the melancholy and pessimistic spirit of grunge and alternative rock. With "Wonderful Life" the band proudly proclaimed "angst be damned!" and presented fourteen hook-laden tracks that became irresistible to those who heard them. The title track adapted from the classic Frank Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life" where Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey discovers what is really important in life, the song brimmed over with optimism, with lead vocalist Steve Bertrand singing " I wanna feel like George Bailey did/ Kissing the staircase, holding the wife/ Bells will be ringing when angels get their wings/ It's such a beautiful/ Oh what a wonderful life". Their hit single "Gladys Kravitz", (which landed on MTV2's Top 10) was based on the busybody neighbor in the 60's sitcom Bewitched, the song had a positive feel to it despite the lyrics spinning a tale of a two-faced know it all, the overall message that the song conveyed is to keep your mind open and be considerate of others. Even when tackling heavy issues such as the death of a close friend - "Strange" - and being afraid to open up to other people - "Scared" � the conclusions drawn by the music always end on a positive note.

After the release of "Wonderful Life" The Tories spent a year on the road supporting it, including a tour of Europe. Things weren't always so positive for the band however. Despite the success of "Wonderful Life", N2K Encoded Music went under and the band was left without a record label. Fate smiled on them when producer Gavin MacKillop asked the band to write and perform the theme song and score for the NBC sitcom "Jesse" staring "Married with Children" alum Christina Applegate. The theme song "Time for You" helped make the show a big hit, earning The Tories honors in 1999 and 2000 at the ASCAP Film and Television Awards.

It would appear that from there the band could write their own ticket, but with a show of independence and self-determination, the Tories turned down offers from various record labels, choosing instead to release their sophomore album on their own imprint, 02 Records. In Feb 2001, after a 3 ½ year wait, The Tories returned to record store shelves with their second release, "upsideofdown" produced by the band and Stuart Brawley.

"upsideofdown" gives us a glimpse of a band that has braved the road to success with their heads held high, never compromising their musical integrity and have ultimately emerged stronger than ever. The first single "Would You Notice" and other tracks like "Come Unglued" and "All the World's For Sale" show us a more mature and astute Tories, who have never lost touch with the passions that brought them to music in the first place.

The Tories use of rich harmonies and thoughtful lyrics that made "Wonderful Life" one of the best releases of the 90's carry on with the eleven songs featured on the new album. If your musical pleasure includes guitar driven pop rock, you can rest assured that the Tories deliver the goods with "upsideofdown."

Recently, The Tories brought down the house at two sold out record release parties in Los Angeles. During the first show at the Lava Lounge, members of Lit joined the band onstage for an impromptu jam. We were on hand a week later for the standing room only performance at the Gig on Melrose. All that can be said is, if you have the change to catch this band live, take it!

We cannot conclude without making reference to the band's name. The Tories is one of England's two major political parties. Like their namesake, the Tories have a proud tradition to uphold. Instead of heading to the polls, fans can cast their votes this year for The Tories at record stores and ticket booths (if you are lucky enough to have them play in your town). But unlike politicians, The Tories have kept their promise to fans by delivering an album that is sure to be one of the musical highlights for the year 2001.