Bark - LOUD (2023)

Formed with wife Susan in 2014 this duo known as Bark includes former Windbreaker guitarist Tim Lee. Originating in Mississippi Mr. Lee has been laying down tracks since 1981. He had been teamed with the late Bobby Sutliff. They weren’t of the class of new wave or punk but a power-pop type duo who had lots of melodic & memorable songs. They weren’t a mainstream commercial type of group but a solid innovative unit that tried to shape some newness into an old genre.

This LP is a little laid-backed & economical but the music is potently applied. The lead instruments are Susan’s drums & Tim’s Fender 6 bass, baritone guitar, electric sitar & their voices. Help from talented friends is evident in the 10 musical increments on Loud.

The intro “Love Minus Action,” is in the resounding jangly-pop tradition. Lots of lyrical cliches soaked into their catchy arrangement & performance. There’s a little Fred Schneider (B-52’s) type vocal tonality with delicious female support that lends that suggestion well. You have to suspend any serious musical expectations & enjoy the spirit of the primitive garage-basement rock n’ roll aesthetic.

This is closer to a ’60s girl group mixed with Nick Lowe, Ian Gomm & Brinsley Schwartz pub inventiveness. Is it sweet? Sure. Will it give you cavities? Nah. Track 3 is “Float.” This borders on the weird way Howard DeVoto & his band Magazine took stabs at a melody. There’s a quirkiness but the songs segue into each other nicely, so it’s hardly noticed. Entertaining stuff, but Tim Lee has always been entertaining.

Sounding like a borrowed melody from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio,” (especially during the moments of “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, we’re finally on our own…”) the sole cover “James Robertson Must Turn Right,” (written by the late David Olney & John Hadley) unfolds with gnarly guitars & vocals. The tone here is closer to Lucinda Williams & the duet – it’s engaging.