(Translated from my old Italian text by DommeDamian)

Fastball was a project of two singer-songwriters from Austin, Texas, one on guitar (Miles Zuniga) and one on bass (Tony Scalzo), supported by a drummer (Joey Shuffield, of the Wild Seeds), who composed melodic songs and wrote depressive lyrics. They debuted with Make Your Mama Proud (Hollywood, 1996), well received by critics and audiences alike. Their themes were clearly inspired by the music of the 60s, but the lyrics speak of horrors and squalor, as if they were the soundtracks of a Tarantino film.

All The Pain Money Can Buy (Hollywood, 1998) continues that saga. Tony Scalzo is reminiscent of an Elvis Costello who knows how to sing (and write good songs). His slightly hoarse and smoky register fits bittersweet ballads like Better Than It Was (not far from Tom Petty territory) like a glove, but he doesn't hesitate to soar into passionate soul like Warm Fuzzy Feeling. The Way, which jumped to the top of several independent charts, is based on a tear-jerking melody from the 1960s that we've heard a thousand times. Out of My Head is a kind of solemn spiritual with a rhythmic piano. Good Old Days even dusts off the Chicago wind fanfares and a Turtles-style cadence.
Miles Zuniga is the Ray Davies (Kinks) of the situation, the storyteller specialized in sketches but also capable of dishing out catchy choruses, driving riffs and marching steps (Sooner Or Later, Charlie The Metadhone Man .
Kudos also to Bennett Salvay, the humble session man who took care of the keyboard and wind arrangements.

The Harsh Light of Day (Hollywood, 2000), Fastball's third album, is a far cry from its predecessor's sublime naivete. You're An Ocean and This Is Not My Life, and the ballad Funny How It Fades Away, sound dangerously close to Brit-pop, joyful and tuneful but ultimately empty. The band fares much better when it mixes wit and emotion: the punchy Dark Street, the passionate Morning Star, the serious Don't Give Up On Me and the most complex of them all, Love Is Expensive And Free. They basically have to decide who they want to be.