Ok, I have ANOTHER confession to make. Remember when I admitted that I wasn't familiar with SUNNO))) prior to my review of "Black One?" Well, this revelation is possibly more damaging to my hipster cred than that bombshell. I don't like KYUSS. I think they are totally overrated, and I don't understand the fascination that many underground rock fans have with 'em. Keeping that in mind, you can imagine I wasn't expecting much from this former KYUSS bassist's first solo album. And I didn't get much, either.

"TunnelVision Brilliance" starts off fairly promising. The opening tracks of trippy, highly effected psychedelia owes more to the sonic experimentation of the BEATLES White Album than the usual, well-worn suspects of "stoner rock" hero worship. It's not until the groan-inducing track "For Renee" emerges, with its drum machine and sickly-sweet vocals ready-made for a vintage John Hughes movie soundtrack, that Reeder's modus operandi becomes clear: This record was made to impress some chick. For the rest of the disc, we are besieged with a 90's alt-pop influence that brings the proceedings to levels of nu-U2 gaiety that is, frankly, quite embarrassing. "Day of Neverending" sticks out as a existentialist pop sing-a-long best left on THE CURE's cutting room floor.

I'm sure the hipsters have posted pages upon pages of bandwidth-busting online fellatio praising Mr. Reeder for making such a "brave and bold statement" with his music. Me? I'm just bored. It would've been nice if the aforementioned BEATLES influence extended to the other great lesson the Fab 4 taught us: Chicks can ruin rock.

- Broadbent

OFFICIAL SITE: www.scottreeder.com

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