The Clarks
“Another Happy Ending”
(Razor & Tie)
There aren’t a lot of bands playing rock and roll these days. You’ve got your popsters, your punkers, your metalheads, etc., but try to find a band that you’d be stoked to hear over the speakers at your favorite bar. You know the bar I’m talking about, too. Not the club downtown, but the seedy tavern around the corner where there’s always a game on the television, there are beer stains on the felt of the pool table and you can throw your peanut shells on the floor. Well, you can stop looking because The Clark’s “Another Happy Ending” is just that pub-friendly band. Full of Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello craftsmanship, this twelve track LP is sure to keep your feet tapping which will certainly mess up your game of darts. Just try to keep your attention focused on the third-and-seven play in the fourth quarter while the bluesy chords and beautiful violins of “On Saturday” are playing in the background. You’ll find yourself perpetually out of quarters as you’ll be feeding them into the jukebox just so you can hear Rob James sing “We’re breaking up, you’re moving out, on Saturday / I’m losing friends, I’m losing face, I’m losing weight / So get your things out of my place, on Saturday” one more time. And maybe, if you’re lucky, there’ll be a shy little blonde all by herself sipping at her Corona while you hum the lovely lines of “Inside You”. Then she’ll tell you to get lost because she only dates rock stars. Like the guys from The Clarks.
