Overwhelming Colorfast - s/t (ORG Music)

During the early nineties, the tidal wave of alternative guitar rock did what tidal waves do and overwhelmed the hapless listening public, with lots of worthwhile bands being unintentionally washed away when it receded. Part of the early San Diego scene, singer/guitarist Bob Reed’s Overwhelming Colorfast was one of those acts. The quartet made three albums of punky, fuzz-banged power pop that deserved more than to be relegated to the dollar bins. Fortunately, ORG Music has stepped in to reissue the band’s 1992 debut LP as a limited edition for the Black Friday version of Record Store Day. Sitting somewhere between the melodic post-punk of Hüsker Dü and the classic hard rock of the seventies, OC benefited not only from an unabashedly hooky, guitar-centric sound, but also Reed’s sparkling songwriting. Unafraid to put his heart on his sleeve to give his catchy melodies an extra punch, the bandleader knocks out hit after shoulda-been hit, from the sentimental waltz “Song in D” to the amp-frying basher “Fearless” to the blazing power poppers “Veil” and “Arrows.” “I’m amazed by the wonder of it all,” insists Reed on the hard-rocking “Forest,” which successfully marries his positive outlook with a head-banging riff to the benefit of all. A significant rediscovery, Overwhelming Colorfast will seduce alternative rock fans all over again.