Loud Family What If It Works CD

While Loud Family/Game Theory's Scott Miller has enjoyed a rabid cult following since the 1980s, fellow Bay Area quirk-rocker Anton Barbeau--whose writing style resonates with Miller's in many key ways--has been dutifully releasing album after brilliant album to a much smaller audience. On this 2006 collaboration, the two songwriters bring their best work to the table, favoring a sunny, 60s-pop approach to melody that somehow meshes well with the bookish, philosophical lyrics. In addition to their ebullient new originals, they cover a Stones song ("Rocks Off," followed by a scholarly musical exegesis called "Song About Rocks Off"), a Cat Stevens song, and an old, unrecorded Loud Family number. To partially answer the question in the title: if it works, release it. And it does, and they did.

Recording information: Palais De Good Thing, San Mateo, CA; The Boogie Dungeon, Sacramento, CA; The Hanger, Sacramento, CA; The Rathaus, Sacramento, CA.

Loud Family: Scott Miller (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, piano, organ, keyboards, sampler, background vocals); Dave Middleton (electric guitar); Anton Barbeau (Hammond b-3 organ); Kenny Kessel (bass instrument); Jozef Becker (drums).

Personnel: Scott Miller (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, drums, background vocals); Anton Barbeau (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Farfisa, Wurlitzer organ, drums, shaker, tambourine, percussion, background vocals); Steve Randall (electric guitar); Alison Faith Levy (piano, background vocals); Julie Meyers (Farfisa); Gil Ray (percussion).