Music Review: TV Eyes, TV Eyes (Reissue)

By Less Lee Moore

Fans of Jellyfish and Redd Kross will already know about TV Eyes but what about the uninitiated? That’s who really needs to read this review.

The storied history and devoted fanbase of both groups would take at least two books to describe fully (someone get on that please, by the way), but you may be familiar with three names from those bands: Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.; Jason Falkner; and Brian Reitzell.

Although the post punk/new wave revival has fully blossomed by now, it was only being tentatively revisited at the beginning of the millennium. If you’re old enough to remember Electroclash, then you’ll understand. Although the urge for a revival of that sound was being felt, no one was stepping up to the task.

Enter Manning, Falkner, and Reitzell, who’d all recorded and toured with French band Air and also collaborated on the conceptual faux soundtrack for an imagined sequel to Logan’s Run, called Logan’s Sanctuary.

Originally called Softcore, news of the TV Eyes project filtered out over the Interwebz in the late ’90s, but it wasn’t until 2000 that it all came to fruition. Unfortunately, despite a few innovative multi-media live performances in Los Angeles, TV Eyes only released an album and EP in Japan and even then not until 2006.

Recently, the good people at Omnivore Records have reissued the TV Eyes album on CD as well as a double LP on yellow vinyl (!) much to the excitement of those of us who only ever had bootlegs of those Japanese releases. The mastering on this release is spectacular; my MP3s never sounded this dazzling or heart-thumpingly loud.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard this, prepare to fall in love. TV Eyes is completely on point, perhaps even more in tune with the zeitgeist than any current band inspired by the ones who prompted TV Eyes into existence in the first place. It helps that all three musicians are superlative at what they do and that the lyrics fit the melodies like a black crocheted glove.

TV Eyes isn’t in the vein of XTC’s Dukes Of Stratosphear albums, in which you can actually pick out which songs pay homage to specific bands (and if you can’t the band has helpfully provided notes to that effect). Although yes, you can spot their influences, TV Eyes actually sounds like a band that came into existence in 1979, produced an incredibly prescient album in 1982, and then broke up a year later, with the individual members going on to become famous in 1985, thanks to their solo careers.

Although every song on this release is genuine chrome, there are a few standouts. The insanely catchy “She’s A Study” made an appearance in Lost In Translation and again on a white label 12″ release around the same time. It’s one of those songs you’d remember from college radio or a particularly rad dance club if it had actually come out in the early ’80s. It’s also nice to hear the non-live version of “Love To Need,” although I do miss the “Whoo!” and handclaps from that one enthusiastic audience member. The throbbing Gang Of Four funk bass in “What She Said” is another highlight of the album as is the Giorgio-Moroder-by-way-of-Pulp “She Gets Around.”

The album also includes three remixes, one by each member of the band, which might seem comical to those who are unfamiliar with their immense talents. There’s nothing funny about these remixes though; they’re all seriously great.

If you feel like you’ve heard all the good post punk/new wave music from back in the day or if you feel like the current crop of imitators isn’t cutting it, TV Eyes will definitely thrill you.

TV Eyes was released by Omnivore Recordings on October 7. The album includes a foreword by Jason Falkner as well as lyrics for all the songs.