(from The Spectator, May 30 1985)

No Place Like Home:
The Connells remind us of the riches of North Carolina pop

by Samuel W. Gaines

Turing on the radio these days, it's easy to become depressed over the
beleaguered state of pop music.  But at just such a moment, in a tiny bar on
a rainy evening, one might be accosted by originality and be reminded of the
vitality of the region's pop scene.

The advance notice and only recording of the Connells that I had encountered
did not suggest  that this Raleigh-based-quintet had anything extraordinary
to offer. "Sounds like the Smiths to me," was a common response to my
inquiries, and a six-song tape (produced by local luminary Don Dixon)
seemed, in some ways, to affirm this assessment.  Two strong sets at the
Riff, however, effectively disproved the detractors.

The Connells not only proved their distinguishability from their esteemed
British counterparts; they also drew a firm line between themselves and the
hordes of other local bands in the "Southern pop/American roots" mold that
can become just as tiring as Anglophilic posturing.

The basis for the Connells-Smiths comparison seems to rest primarily on Doug
MacMillan's lead vocals:  Like Morrissey of the Smiths, MacMillan's singing
carries lightly yet insistently across the texture of the music.  But the
Connells go their own way with the frenetic cadences of drummer Peele
Wimberley, a youthful master of percussion and control.  Together,
Wimberley's percussion and David Connell's bass form a solid backbone for
the lilting, almost fragile harmonies that color the band's music.
Guitarists Mike Connell and George Huntley (who doubled on the unfortunately
inaudible keyboards) drew simple, quirky melodies from twin Rickenbackers.
MacMillan's voice echoed the guitars' quirky style, fusing the sound into a
whole.

By choosing two- to three-minute songs, the band maintained a subtle
presence that might have been dissipated by longer tunes.  The gentle push
of the mid-tempo tunes-- "Unspoken Words," "Much Easier," the delightful,
multitextural "1934" and the powerful finale "Take a Bow"-- alternated with
punchy, up-tempo songs such as "Day Like Today," "Darker Days," "Holding
Pattern"  and "Waiting for the World."  Well-timed, perky instrumentals--
"3," "The Western Song"-- made room for the atmospheric delvings of
"Brighter Worlds," "In My Head," "1934" and "Day Like Today."  It was
apparent that the Connells have developed quite a chemistry after only nine
months of existence.

The were some obstacles, however:  A mix that favored the rhythm section, in
a building whose acoustics also exaggerate rhythm, frequently made for
blurred vocals and lost keyboards:  Harmonies were often drowned in a
monsoon of bass and tom-tom.  The band appeared anxious within the confines
of the stage throughout the first set, but they seemed to relax in the
second.

Coming on the heels of some extensive traveling and performing in Georgia,
the performance piqued a diffident audience's interest with a fresh,
accessible yet intriguing sound.  It left me excited about the state's
continually developing pop "underground" and the Riff's selection of
diverse, engaging pop outfits that wend their way in to the Triad.  Thanks
to them, it works for all of us.

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