The Andersons
“Family Secrets”
(Smile Records)
“Family Secrets” is a fitting title for an album from a group of guys who jokingly claim to be half-brothers and call themselves The Andersons as a nod the drifter who purportedly fathered them all. They play an electrified, sunny power pop that would have fit in well in the nineties but shows a strong Sixties pop influence (“Hard” really sounds like something The Turtles might have played). Strong guitar work from Bill Anderson and his half-brother Bob is complemented by acerbic lyrics from bassist and
primary singer Derrick (the only legitimate Anderson of the bunch). “Ledonia B.,” a song about your friendly neighborhood dominatrix, is a real snickering riot, but the gears shift smoothly in transition to tracks like Bill’s “Falling Out,” a strikingly well done take on the tired theme of the bad relationship that refuses to die. It seems that every family in popular music is destined to take a back seat to the Osbournes these days, but The Andersons would be swell dinner guests, too.
