Local Singles Roundup
The second single from this Chicago threesome pairs a respectable bit of bashy pleasure with a B-side sleeper. The ostensible A side, “Ronnie’s Pants,” is based on a just-this-side-of-lethal guitar pulse over a song that has something to do with “safety in numbers.” Fueled nicely by singer Wes Kidd’s howling delivery, it’s catchier and more substantive than the band’s first single, “Revved Up,” but ends up being overshadowed by the conceptual tour de force on the flip. “Aerosmith” is a quiet ballad with a whispered delivery over a single strummed guitar; the only other sounds are some guitar treatments that roar by occasionally and some electronic touches on the vocals. Over this, Kidd takes on everything from bikes to guns and guitars to family as he delivers Everyfan’s lament: “I got my MTV / Q101 / I got some DGC [a Geffen records imprint] that I don’t need / I don’t want some / I want it all.” The sarcasm is tempered by the warmth of the production and the sensitivity of the vocals. Subtlety, irony, and meaning combine for a killer track.
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Motorhome, “Whole in My Head”
