The Connells Ring (TVT) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
This North Carolina college band is the musical cornerstone of TVT Records, a label better known for its reissues of old television tunes. The ensemble’s fifth album shifts the focus more to the leaders’ Southern roots (singer-guitarist Mike Connell and bassist brother David Connell grew up in Macon, Ga.), with jangly R.E.M.-inspired guitars and cloying vocals attempting the poetic bite of that band’s Michael Stipe; the song “Burden” is a sure stab with Mike Connell’s moaning. “Ring” doesn’t quite attain that level of marksmanship, though it is a welcome escape from the fey British vocals of previous albums. “Slackjawed” is a pleasing pop ditty, though the Malt-O-Meal mushiness of the backing vocals drains some of its power. Co-singer Doug MacMillan sings sweetly on “Eyes On the Ground,” urging the listener to forgo a window-shopping trip along Main Street.
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