2 out of 5

Label: Bulbous Monocle

Produced by: Greg Freman, Marty, Salmon, Lobes, Scud Mandril (engineers)

“The ‘Fronts” are The Whitefronts, an apparently short-lived collective tooling about in mid 80s San Fran, doing the band thing in a loose, “play what’s interesting” kinda way live – channeling jazz, and the jam band sensibilities of that era / place – and then captured on their sole LP, Roast Belief. A second album of material recorded before and after that LP never materialized, though it had a spot on Camper Van Beethoven’s Pitch-a-Tent records, before that group got distracted by Virgin Records. A bundle of years later, SF archivist label Bulbous Monocle has rescued the intended second LP, Mamo Waves, and released it on wax, closing the loop on this very unheard band.

And… calling it an acquired taste feels a little off, as the group maybe didn’t have enough time to really find their sound, with that “play what’s interesting” m.o. leading to a not uninteresting array of styles, but not much that works outside the context of any given track. The material’s just not very memorable.

Early CVB is a good reference for some half of this, mixing in call-and-response reggae, and the wandering folk of Eugene Chadbourne, leading to the wrong-footed start for the album – Barbados BBQ. I think if / when someone describes Camper Van Beethoven as slacker smartasses playing ska, it only takes a single or so to realize the pop hooks fueling CVB, as well as the (generally) good balance of humor and intelligence in the lyrics. Barbados BBQ, meanwhile, sounds rather exactly like that Camper description, except without the elevating elements. That might be your scene; to a casual listener who rolls their eyes at a lot of college rock, it’s moreso cringey, unfortunately.

But the album does pickup thereafter, with some quality atmospherics on The Earth’s Mandrill and Pluto, and Mowin’ the Lawn a solid centerpiece that bridges the cringe to more expansive experimental rock – the ‘elevation’ missing on the opener. But this experimentation, elsewhere, is whimsy: a track like the 18 minute Freeman just cycles through formless thought expressions, and when it lands on something more engaging, it’s gone a moment later.

Given the nature of The Whitefronts, I’m sure the music here makes sense, and I appreciate Bulbous Monocle’s attempts at documenting a particular time and place with rare finds. The music, sonically, also sounds quality – assuming some mastering (or mixing) was done on 80s material, the fidelity is not dated in any way. But unless this was a band you already knew and admired, and / or you have a high tolerance for very indulgent indie rock, Mamo Waves is perhaps better as a document than something you keep on repeat in your player.

Note: By whatever path you found your way to listening to this, it’s worth actually listening to the physical version. I started on digital, but once I had the vinyl, that format feels much more “fitting” for the ‘Fronts improv stylings, the pokey playing style a good match for the analog sound. Ultimately the review still stands, but I enjoyed the listen more on wax.