*This review was composed by Brittany Oblak and edited by Erik van Rheenen
There isn’t a lot that can be said about the late 80’s/early 90’s nostalgia-clad Cheap Girls My Roaring 20’s acoustic release that hasn’t already been said about it’s widely-adored full length version that was released a little over three years ago, except for perhaps how awesome it is to have such a good album released in any version we can get, and maybe how this stripped-down sibling to the initial album brings out a whole new set of emotions.
The Lemonheads-esque full band version of this album feels like it was written acoustically in the first place, so listening to this version of the album feels like you’re hearing what the Michigan trio heard in their heads while writing it. While the original version had supercharged guitars that lightened up the melancholy lyrics and themes of most of the songs, this acoustic version peels it back to give you the feeling that the band seemed to have when writing about striving for girls’ attention, long-lost high school friends, and being lost in an intoxicated, early-20’s haze.
This seems especially true in songs like “Sunnyside” (“I’m stuck like a boat/frozen in a lake in a Michigan winter where the waves are late/and I’m hoping for you”) where the humming harmonica and longing acoustic guitar flawlessly accompany the lyrical pining for someone’s attention and affections.
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