Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack (1994)

If anyone knows power pop, it's Mike Chapman. Having produced everyone from Blondie and the Knack to Sweet and Scandal, Chapman is an undisputed master when it comes to uniting guitar-powered rock aggression and pop infectiousness. Chapman did exactly that when he produced Material Issue's third album, the superb Freak City Soundtrack. From "Ordinary Girl" and "Funny Feeling" to the clever single "Kim the Waitress," Chapman brings out the best in the melodic yet hard-rockin' band. Issue never fails to rock any more than it fails to employ irresistible hooks and a striking harmonic sense. One can pinpoint a variety of influences from the 1960s and '70s -- Cheap Trick, Sweet, and Thin Lizzy as well as the Byrds and the Beatles -- but there's no question that Material Issue was a fine band in its own right. Sadly, this CD wasn't the big commercial breakthrough Issue's followers were hoping it would be.