03/22/2010: Asheville NC magazine review of record!

The Villains
DCM Records
Hearkening back to the days when FM ruled the airways the self titled debut by this Atlanta based band is a blast of pure nostalgia in all the right ways. Straight ahead rock with more hooks than a bait and tackle shop the eight songs herein-models of brevity for those jam bands who insist the best way to make a weak song better is to sing more of it-sound both delightfully fresh and wonderfully familiar. There’s enough punch, best exemplified in the opener “Let’s Forget About It Tonight” to keep things interesting and enough crackle to not let the often predictable lyrics seem too distracting. Lead vocalist Jimmy James Schmitt has a nice enough Tom Petty twang but it’s the group harmonies that really shine. It’s only when the band’s soft underbelly is exposed-“Where We Began” is drippy enough to make Stephen Bishop blush-that things stumble down but for the most part The Villains delivers the goods in fine fashion. It’s a solid mix of Greg Kihn idiosyncratic pop and Loggins and Messina jaunt, each one complementing the other while creating a sound that stands on its own; a solid debut that leaves the listener craving for more. ***