Erik Lindgren

Sells out Erik Lindgren

He's flapped his wings with Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, floated into orbit with the Space Negros, and archived everything from Pinocchio and His Puppets to The Rising Storm on his Arf! Arf! imprint. So what the hell is Erik Lindgren doing rubbing elbows with Rickenbacker-toting, suit-and-tie-clad popsters and used car salesmen' Glad you asked, because the answer is on Erik Lindgren Sells Out!, his new solo album. Actually, this isn't really a new album, but a collection of six years worth of Lindgren's forays into writing hooks and turning his old Cambridge, Mass. digs into a mini-Tin Pan Alley. Though he never rocked Billboard with a big hit, you'll hear him melt the hearts of those into the Raspberries, Beach Boys. Hall & Oates, and Curt Boettcher with his unique brand of Top 20 (relatively speaking) power pop, radiant rock, and commercial songs. And just to tease your consumer inclinations a little more, this package is sprinkled with Erik's 10 most insidious jingles to create an authentic radio feel in the vein of some Who album with (ahem) a similar name. OK, so maybe Pete Townsend ain't on it, but just check out the Beantown luminaries lending their talents to these digital grooves: Willie Alexander, the Paley Brothers, the Cars' Greg Hawkes, Flat Earth Society's Paul Carter, the Marshalls and Andy Pratt, among others. Commericials, local legends, Lindgren contradicting himself...it's a lot to digest. Which is why Lindgren temporarily abandoned his still extant passion (or something like that) for commercial jingles and used a pen normally reserved for quarter-notes to pen liners explaining the whole damned thing. We're sure you'll love what he has to say, both musically and otherwise. And who knows, you could even be listening to one of his spots on the radio right now.