SCENICS, THE - IN THE SUMMER (1977-78) – New LP

"In the summer of 1976 Andy Meyers, fresh out of High School, and Ken Badger, working at the local music store, met and started The Scenics. Inspired by the new sounds, (and Iggy, VU, garage rock, Roxy, Syd Barrett), Ken & Andy began writing songs that defined their sound--chancy, noisy... big pop choruses and gear-stripping guitar. Quirky lyrics. They played shows with Talking Heads, Simply Saucer, Viletones..." 

It's easy to hear influences of Talking Heads, Television, VU, but other influences also show up, sounds from the 1960s surfacing in these pop mutations, influences from Memphis, Cleveland, and California, like it's sometimes operating in some weird place somewhere between the avant-garage rock of Pere Ubu/Rocket from the Tombs and the pop of Big Star/The Byrds/Beach Boys.  The 1960s of course had a huge influence on the underground rock of the mid 1970s, but this set perhaps helps clear the fog from not-so-obvious bridges between these two decades. (And maybe it's a stretch, but I'm wondering if they weren't only influenced by the Talking Heads, but maybe somehow even influenced the post-1978 Talking Heads.) -- winch

"I don’t know much about this Canadian New Wave band that made these brilliant recordings in ’77 & ’78. Why they aren’t legends is hard to say." -- Roctober  "Brainy crackpot art-pop with an ear for off-kilter melody, a headful of magic & twitchy grooves to burn." -- Toronto Star