A common complaint I tend to see whenever I listen to older forms of music is how "today's music sucks" and "nobody makes music like this anymore". Not only does this reek of r/lewronggeneration, but it is completely unfounded. There are plenty of bands that make good music in this day and age, and many more that specialize in carrying on the legacy of older bands. And no other band does this better than The Unswept, a power trio that seems like they walked straight out of the British Invasion of 1964 to 1966 in more ways than one.

Originating in Sheffield, England (not coincidentally located 2 hours away from Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles), the Unswept are comprised of brothers Charlie O'Brien (guitars, vocals), Ryan O'Brien (drums, vocals), and their cousin Liz (bass, vocals). The trio grew up in the group housing projects, playing in various bands before deciding to play music together and immigrating to Chicago's Logan Square. Discovered by Draco Records president Bert Fern, a day of studio time was booked (again, not unlike the Beatles with Please Please Me) and their self-titled debut was recorded. But is it a good record (consisting of 6 covers and 4 originals)? Well, that's why we're here. Let's look at The Unswept, an artifact that arrived 50 years too late, and find out.

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ALBUM NAME: The Unswept

ARTIST NAME: The Unswept

RECORDED: March 9, 2014

RELEASED: April 12, 2014

LABEL: Draco Records

PRODUCER: Bert Fern

GENRES: Merseybeat, power pop, jangle pop 

PERSONNEL: Charlie O'Brien (guitars, vocals), Ryan O'Brien (drums, vocals), Liz O'Brien (bass, vocals)

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TRACK LISTING:

1. Inside Out - 02:24

2. So It Goes (Nick Lowe) - 02:35

3. I Can't Sleep (Lee Mavers) - 02:26

4. Cynical Girl (Marshall Crenshaw) - 02:22

5. Certain Flowers - 02:38

6. You're Going Home - 2:14

7. I Must Be In Love (Neil Innes) - 02:09

8. You Trip Me Up (William and Jim Reid) - 02:33

9. Listen to the Band (Michael Nesmith) - 02:32

10. She's So Cool - 02:30

TOTAL ALBUM LENGTH: 24:23

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1. Inside Out: The opening track of The Unswept immediately pulls you in with its Beatlesque guitar riffs and lyrics about a man who's in love, setting the template for the rest of the album (and by extension, the band themselves) - British Invasion pop tunes that generally don't stray too far from the 2-minute-and-under range. Short and sweet like the rest of the songs on the rest of this record, this opening track basically tells you, "You get what you expect. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

 2. So It Goes: The second track of this album is also our first cover, originally by Nick Lowe from his 1978 debut album Jesus of Cool. The phrase was originally used as a transition phrase in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five, usually to signify a character's death, and then move on to another event. While the lyrics may not make any sense at first, they fit perfectly with that idea, going from one unrelated story to the next. It also allows the Unswept to really stretch their power pop legs, giving an indication of the covers on this album and how they fit perfectly into it.

3. I Can't Sleep - Following the Nick Lowe cover is a song originally written by Lee Mavers of The La's fame. I Can't Sleep is pure power pop perfection in every sense. Juxtaposing lyrics about insomnia and the feelings it brings on with excellent pop hooks and harmonies, I Can't Sleep is an excellent track and probably a "signature song" for The Unswept if they had one.

4. Cynical Girl - The third cover on The Unswept's debut album is a Marshall Crenshaw tune about wanting to find...well, a cynical girl. With Ryan and Charlie (and Liz on the chorus) dueting in the style pioneered by Lennon and McCartney, this track is the best showcase of the band's vocal harmonies.

5. Certain Flowers - This song returns to the themes of love established in the first track; namely, talking about certain flowers, how they mean certain things (especially in romantic gestures), certain girls who might like those flowers, and ultimately how things like flowers and cards mean absolutely nothing when it comes to getting a girl to like you. What really matters isn't just cards and gifts - it's about forming personal connections that really make romance truly meaningful.

6. You're Going Home: As with any band writing silly love songs, the Unswept also deal with the more negative side of romance every now and then. You're Going Home is that song. Focusing on a relationship going sour due to his lover up and leaving him, the narrator reflects on how things aren't going to be the same after that; he never got to say goodbye, all he got was a letter, and he's certainly not going to write back.

7. I Must Be In Love: The fourth cover on this album is...certainly unusual. The reason being that it was originally by the Rutles, a Beatles pastiche created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes. As such, I Must Be In Love may not seem that unusual unless you know the history behind it. And it's absolutely perfect for a band like this. Just as the Rutles were an affectionate, light-hearted jab at the Beatles (Monty Python and the Fab Four had a mutual respect for one another; Eric Idle and George Harrison were close friends), the Unswept covering a pastiche while also being a throwback to the pop rock of the early 1960s is nothing short of awesome.

8. You Trip Me Up: The Unswept continue to show off their more unexpected influences by covering The Jesus and Mary Chain's You Trip Me Up, off of 1985's Psychocandy. A problem I had with the original version is that it had far too much noise, feedback and distortion to it (and when you consider that this is the Jesus and Mary Chain, this is saying something), which obscured the actual music and vocals to the point of unlistenability. By stripping away the noise and feedback entirely, the Unswept uncover the catchy one-chord bubblegum melody underneath. If anything, it serves to show the 60s influences of not only this band, but of the Reid brothers as well, much more prominently.

9. Listen to the Band: Speaking of 60s influences, the final cover and the album's penultimate track is Listen to the Band by the Monkees. While it doesn't deviate too much from the original, both are equally enjoyable in different ways. In fact, this song was included in a tribute compilation of the same name, marking the only time I know of that the Unswept made an appearance outside of their own recordings.

10. She's So Cool: The final track on The Unswept is an original, this time focusing on the band's own Logan Square vneighborhood. More specifically, how the narrator admires a hipster girl for how cool she is. More specifically, he admires her wit, her eye for art and photography, and how she can make other girls jealous. Overall, a nice conclusion to a n excellent album.

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FINAL THOUGHTS: This album is perfect in every sense of the word, and I don't just say that due to my love of 60s pop rock. This album is pure power pop straight out of the British Invasion - catchy hooks, teenybopper lyrics about love, and an overall sense of fun. The covers fit so well and so perfectly I thought a lot of them were originals at first. The Unswept are billed as "Chicago's undiscovered power pop gem" for a reason. They may not be the most original group out there, but that's far from a bad thing. It's clear they have a love of the classic Merseybeat groups, especially the Fab Four era Beatles, and pay tribute to them in everything they do. This band needs more love, and I hope this review does just that.

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FINAL SCORE: 10/10