THe BAcksliders

Led by Kim Pendleton, former singer for Vibrolux (who actually cut a decent album for Polygram in 2001), the typographically challenged BAcksliders wish to pay homage to all the right retro new wave standard-bearers: folks like Elvis Costello, Blondie and The Cars. But, in actuality, the cheeky pop-rock found on the band's sophomore effort, You're Welcome, is more in line with lesser acts from the same time period: second-level stalwarts such as Missing Persons, Berlin and The Motels.

Such comparisons are not meant to detract from THe BAcksliders' poignant recollection of late-'70s kitsch. Pendleton belts out songs such as "Under the Moonlight" and "Fat Girls" with a boisterous aplomb reminiscent of both Patty Donahue (The Waitresses) and Katrina Leskanich (Katrina and the Waves) while guitarist Chris Bonner handles the songwriting duties and plays a plethora of instruments.

Related Content

• Q&A: Nick Lowe Talks Songwriting, Being Covered by Costello and Finding Inspiration
  November 28, 2011
• St. Vincent Pays Homage to Elvis Costello on Conan
  January 17, 2012
• Between the Buried and Me
  November 17, 2011
• The Five Americans (and a Young Ron Chapman, But of Course) on Sump'n Else
  September 16, 2011
• My First Show: THe BAcksliders' Chris Bonner Saw KISS in '79. Years Later, He Took His Kids To See KISS, Too.
  March 22, 2011

More About

• Kim Pendleton
• Elvis Costello
• Patty Donahue
• Katrina Leskanich
• Chris Bonner

Expertly produced by Jeff Halbert, You're Welcome is full of infectious tunes played well with just a hint of soul—although without a lot of innovation. But, then again, not every listener is looking for the complexity of King Crimson. If you appreciate punchy pop-rock played with humor and skill, music that gets better with each beer, you could do much worse than this effort from THe BAcksliders.