Very, Very Powerful Motor

AMG Review of Very, Very Powerful Motor

Mark Deming
All Music Guide

1990 was a difficult time for Fastbacks; after nearly a decade together, the band had failed to gain a significant audience outside the Pacific Northwest, and Lulu Gargiulo opted to take a sabbatical from the group. Very, Very Powerful Motor, the band's second album, seems to reflect the problems facing the group; while it's tighter, snappier, and rocks a good bit harder than their debut, ... And His Orchestra, it's also one of the group's edgiest, most angst-filled recordings. Alongside such pop-punk gems as "In the Summer" and "Says Who?" are a number of longer tunes where Kurt Bloch leaves himself plenty of space to work out on guitar (like "What to Expect/Dirk's Car Jam" and "Last Night I Had a Dream That I Could Fly"), and lyrically the overall tone of the album is one of anxiety and doubt. But while Fastbacks sounded gifted but tentative on their debut, here the band sounds like they were finally living up to their potential; Very, Very Powerful Motor is the first Fastbacks album to capture the group's qualities at full power.