Admiral Twin - Mock Heroic (2000)

One of many strong power-pop releases that got lost in the shuffle in 2000 due to the burgeoning rap-rock hybrids, Mock Heroic is a quality set of literate tales, offering articulate assessments of people's inarticulate lives and inarticulate relationships. Many of the disc's songs detail its characters' attempts to escape boredom and carve meaning out of the obscure components of their worlds, lending the album its apt title. As pop-rock storytelling goes, it's on par with the better efforts of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, and it's a shame that the record never got the critical or public attention it deserved. But this obscurity is worth seeking out. Admiral Twin's musicianship is solid and splashy where the power-pop construction demands, yet allowing the vocals and lyricism to take center stage. The best are the sing-along tracks: the defiantly triumphant "The Unlucky Ones," the should've-been-a-hit "Better Than Nothing at All," and the literary "Eustice & Isadore." A definite winner, as turn-of-the-century indie rock goes.~Joseph McCombs