One of my most pleasant surprises from The Year That Cannot Be Mentioned was Do The Sob!, the debut album from The Nite Sobs out of Austin, Texas. Hearing it, I had an instant "Where has this band been all my life?" moment. The album was chock full of perfect pop songs with roots in early rock 'n' roll, and in my book it remains a true hidden gem of contemporary power pop. "Where has this band been the last three years?" has been my question of late, and the answer is that Nite Sobs have been hard at work on a just-as-good follow up to Do The Sob! Out now on Family Spree Recordings, Fade Out finds Nite Sobs dutifully refusing to fix what wasn't broken. Again the band delivers track after track of harmony-laden, melody-driven rock 'n' roll that reminds us that there would have been no Beatles without Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. If we had to wait three years for a second helping of Nite Sobs, Fade Out has at least made it worth the wait. Everything about this record hits the spot: the lead vocals, the harmonies, the guitars, the production, and of course the songs. Jittery Jeff is smooth as silk and likeable as heck on vocals, and his flair for writing catchy, melodious love songs is fully on display. This is fun, feelgood music — even when the songs themselves aren't necessarily happy. But of course a lot of them are happy, and all in all Fade Out exudes tremendous joy. If, like me, you could listen to songs about girls until the end of time, Nite Sobs are the band for you.
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