Album Notes

"Their style and their strength is aggressive indie-pop, with a welcome dose of cheeky humor, which is much needed in a genre often dragged down by its own plodding self-importance." (The Aquarian Weekly)

The fun-loving indie rock trio known as Hoover's G-String has been an underground hit with college and non-commercial radio since the release of their 1998 full-length CD "Gargle." Like "Gargle," "Crack" rocks in the right places, pops in your ear, includes some more cool offbeat instrumentals, and shows yet another side to the band's irrepressible sense of humor. (For starters check out their website: the band's logo is an image of J. Edgar Hoover in a g-string and high heels! A sure bet to crack you up or give you nightmares for a week.)

While sticking to their straight-ahead guitar-driven style, "Crack" benefits from the production of former Tommy Keene producer Steve Carr. "Steve was really professional, which was kinda new to us," says singer/guitarist Jeff Reinholz with a laugh. "One day he actually made me tune my guitar twice!" As longtime fans of Carr's former client, the band wrote track 2 entitled "Tommy Keene's Blues" in a similar spirit to their earlier instrumental "Long Live the Fleshtones," an upbeat horn-blowing nod to another legendary yet underknown indie rock favorite. "Tommy Keene's Blues" tells the simple tale of an aging rock fan afraid he'll miss Keene's final tour, and his pop-infected girlfriend whose "Into coffee grounds, she's never even heard of Pet Sounds. She'd rather sit up in a grandstand and watch a lip-syncing boy band, from half a world away, with no instruments to play."

Peppering short instrumental selections amid their more radio-ready material, Hoover's G-String also add a few inside jokes on this record, including voicemail messages left during the recording sessions by drummer Bill Gatter among others. "Those guys are always busting my chops because I happen to be extremely well-read. I guess they're jealous," says Gatter. "They have brain envy. It doesn't help that I'm also much better looking than both of them."

Without attempting to shatter any musical boundaries or ingratiate themselves to commercial radio, Hoover's G-String has been compared to everyone from Ben Folds to Joe Jackson to the Dead Milkmen. "Whatever," says bassist Jim Reinholz, the utility infielder of the band who also contributed organ, guitar and backing vocals on this project. "We know our songs are good and that's why we make records. Most of the crap you hear on commercial radio is God-awful. I'll take Paul Kelly or Superdrag over that Staind or Creed junk any day."