I could be completely wrong on this, but I have to believe that at least one of the members of It's not that all the songs on Tangy's sophomore release, Sorta Like Very Ultra, recall the hard rock improv, electric riffs and frequently mellow atmospherics that Boston made famous. It's that Tangy sits squarely on the rock 'n roll bridge Boston paved, linking mid-70's blues-metal to early 80's power-pop. "Captain America" gets my vote for the best track on Ultra. As it rollicks from verse to chorus to verse, it's a brief tour of rock's progression during the years Jimmy Carter was president. The song begins darkly sparse and down-tempo, invoking Pink Floyd's comfy numbness. Then it steadily marches forward and sonically expands. By the chorus, a catchy guitar progression lands Tangy in the front seat of late 70's pop-rock driven by The Cars. There's more darkness than light here, and for good reason. The song wallows in frustration and sadness about the war in Iraq. Lyrically, Tangy picks apart the lost ways of America's captain. He's shooting dogs in Fallujah and mindlessly staying a course he doesn't understand. There's a substantial body of anti-Iraq War music that's come out of Madison, from artists like Stephanie Rearick to Flat Atom. But I'd nominate "Captain America" as one of my very favorites from this genre. It's emotional and musically tight -- the kind of tune that will cast its sonic shadow over you long after you've turned your iPod off.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
