Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips have quite a reputation. Both have been active in the Boston, New York and London indie rock scenes for close to 20 years and have contributed to a plethora of celebrated bands, the most notable being lo-fi outfit Luna.
In addition to Luna, Wareham belonged to Boston band Galaxie 500, and in between gigs he found himself in the short horror flick "Pumpkin Hell" (2006). Phillips provided the voice for '80s cartoon rocker Jem and exercised her acting abilities alongside Julia Roberts in the coming-of-age movie "Satisfaction" (1988).
Usually, with time and experience, musicians' strong and weak points are uncovered, and strategically enhanced or hidden. Throughout Luna's time, when Wareham was the lead singer and Phillips was the bassist, the line between beautifully languid and plain, boring music was acknowledged and gingerly respected. Wareham and Phillips, however, have ignored that boundary on "Back Numbers," leaving a plain and boring record.
Released under Rounder Records, "Back Numbers" could lull a speed addict to sleep. This unexceptional offering is surprising due to the duo's longevity in the music business, but also their respective eclectic backgrounds. Moreover, "Back Numbers" was produced by the legendary Tony Visconti, who has worked with musicians like Bowie and Morrissey. Separately, "Back Numbers" has all the necessary ingredients of an excellent album. But put together, there is simply no spark.
This isn't to say there is no merit to "Back Numbers." Each song is delicately arranged, and Phillips' voice, featured on almost every track, is warm and beautiful. Her languid vocals, however, are matched by an unhurried, simple instrumentation and an even slower tempo. Alone, each aspect could be very lovely, but as a whole, nothing grips the listener. It just slides right off.
There are a number of covers on "Back Numbers," the most baffling of which is "White Horses," originally the theme song to a late '60s British children's TV show of the same title. Not quite the musical masterpiece to begin with, Wareham and Phillips have yet another muffled, dawdling ballad on their hands with cheesy lyrics about white horses and candy clouds. The combination of extremely sparse noise - be it instruments or their relative volume - and Phillips' flowing voice give this track a distinct "Girl From Ipanema" feel, which, depending on your affinity for elevator music, is probably not a good thing.
Unfortunately, Phillips is not the only vocalist on "Back Numbers." Wareham sings either with Phillips or alone on a number of tracks, lending his own whispery voice, which sounds like Lou Reed minus all personality. In "Me & My Babies," Wareham straddles the line between singing and talking, seemingly as if he is too relaxed to pick one style. The song is so smooth and buttery it washes over the listener, leaving no memory of its existence.
The high point on "Back Numbers" comes about halfway through the album with "You Turn My Head Around." Nevertheless, the best Wareham and Phillips could come up with isn't even an original; this song is a cover of a Lee Hazlewood rarity. Here, the vocal range spans more than a lazy four or five notes, and Phillips has the chance to really show off her pipes. Also, this is one of the only tracks with an audible drumbeat, which hooks the listener. However, surrounded by so many ballads with sighing voices and softer instruments, this one song isn't enough to save "Back Numbers" from becoming mere background music.
There is no doubt that Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are talented musicians. They have more experience than most indie rockers, but on "Back Numbers" they tried to create a beautiful, floating-out-to-sea kind of aura, but unfortunately overdid it. Separately, each song is nice: simple, pleasant and plain. But together, the album is boring and far too soft to grab anyone's attention, much less keep it.
