Bill McGarvey
Tell Your Mother

Wilco’s Summerteeth was a magnificent, though underappreciated, effort that put pop back into rock ’n‘ roll. Although the public didn’t snatch up copies quite as quickly as one might expect, the song suite did make a significant impact among other artists. Everyone from close pals The Jayhawks to budding songwriter Will Kimbrough left the music trends of the ’90s behind to tap into Wilco’s rediscovery of ’60s-style craftsmanship. Bill McGarvey is just the latest musician to jump onto this growing bandwagon, and his recently released solo debut Tell Your Mother features more than its share of folk-pop tunes with memorable hooks. Reminiscent of both The Bodeans and The Jayhawks, McGarvey’s music is sunny and warm, featuring swirling sounds and buoyant melodies. Dig into his lyrics, however, and one is apt to find that things aren’t quite so amiable as he explores with a keenly observant eye topics of love, loss, regret, and the generally dysfunctional nature of human relationships. Over the past few years, McGarvey has made a name for himself in the mid-Atlantic fronting Valentine Smith, but given its radio-friendly disposition, Tell Your Mother should make it possible for him to reach national acclaim.  ½