As far as its descriptive utility is concerned, the term "college rock" answers the question "when" much better than it answers the question "what." In the 1980s, before the rise of "alternative" radio stations, "college rock" basically referred to any band that neither fit neatly into a corner of the previously charted musical universe nor could stop being "weird" long enough to get serious mainstream radio airplay. With the exception of isolated acts like The Long Ryders or single-serving morsels like REM's "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville," it was almost as if every youthful band of the decade was allergic to Americana. I blame Reagan. At any rate, Camper Van Beethoven was tackling roots rock well in advance of the No Depression/alt-country movement founded by Uncle Tupelo, The Jayhawks, and other 90s indie heavyweights. On the one hand, you have to give them credit. On album opener, "Eye of Fatima, Pt. 1," David Lowery announces "we're driving like hell / to get some cowboys some acid," which is as good a description as any of what this music is all about. It looks back to traditional styles, but it does so with a view to making them new. Maybe it would be more appropriate to say that CVB is engaged in irreverent worship. The approach is not 100% successful. Early on they take a stab at folk standard "O Death" and ramp up the tempo just slightly, but the results are a mixed bag. On some songs their warped sense of humor serves them well. On others - most notably the appropriately named "The Fool" - they end up shooting themselves in the foot, coming off more parodic than melodic. Lyrically it's a positive feature, but when the snark bleeds into the performances themselves, count me out. They commit their worst offense, in my opinion, during "She Divines Water," easily the prettiest song in the bunch. Just as the harmonies are about to soar one last time, the whole thing gets mired in a needless fit of noise and disjuncture, as if they feel compelled to sabotage something empirically good to prove their avant-garde bona fides. Or maybe it's just an anti-corporate/anti-commercial "fuck you." Either way, it's infuriating. Again, I blame Reagan. There is an unfortunate pattern in music criticism for quality bands to be held responsible for the mediocre copycats they beget; the father is blamed for the sins of the children. In the case of Camper Van Beethoven, I think they get overshadowed by the acts that came after who did what they were doing, only better. Grade: C+
