The Scruffs
Conquest
(Scruffsville, 2010)

The brainchild of lead guitarist and songwriter Stephen Burns, the Scruffs originally coalesced in Memphis in 1974, around the time of Big Star’s break-up. Burns, and frequent co-writer and sometimes bass player Rick Branyan, penned catchy rock tunes that aimed for pure pop perfection and often achieved it, albeit with a dark undertone that was theirs alone. Burns had a sardonic sense of humor that showed up in his skewed lyrics years before irony became a pop music staple. As good as songs like “I’m a Failure” were, it’s easy to see (especially with 20/20 hindsight) why the Scruffs might have put people off in 1977. Still, along with Big Star, they helped invent power pop.

In their first incarnation, the Scruffs recorded two albums—the now classic Wanna Meet the Scruffs?, recorded at Ardent Studios in 1977, and Teenage Gurls, which was recorded in 1978-1979 and went unreleased until 1998. Burns made an album as the Scruffs in the mid-’80s and moved to Glasgow, Scotland in 1998. Since 2000, he’s has released three Scruffs projects—Love, The Scruffs (2000), Swingin’ Singles (2003), and Pop Manifesto (2007).

Conquest is a blast from the past, a groove-heavy time machine full of hits from an alternative universe where it’s still 1977 and cool cats and foxy chicks rock the night away in skinny ties and beehive hairdos. An impressive cast of power-pop heavies add their talent to the proceedings, including drummer Francis MacDonald (Teenage Fanclub), vocalists Bobby Kildea and Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), guitarist Zac Ware (The Proclaimers), and Jody Stephens (Big Star), although the liner notes aren’t exactly clear on who plays or sings on any given track.

Things kick off with the anthemic “Conquer Me”, three minutes of lust driven by jackhammer drumming, sizzling cymbal crashes, surly power chords, and the shrieking, over-the-top lead vocal of Mr. Burns. The band channels the Trashmen, as played by the Cramps, for “Curse of the Mau Mau.” Burns sounds like Lux Interior as the band blends cheesy keyboards, grungy drums, and tribal vocal harmonies into a twisted R&B version of surf music. Distorted guitars and Beatles-esque harmonies make the simple pop of “Treasure Girls” so sweet it’ll send you into insulin shock. The cheeky “Yeah, yeah, yeah” quote from “She Loves You” puts the icing on this frothy confection. The blues-rock of “Bad Memories” brings to mind Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan with a sound that mixes a big organ with jazzy piano and a tasty, stinging guitar solo.

Burns nods to the modern world, at least conceptually, with “iPod Girl”, a Beach Boys pastiche full of sly humor and great backing vocals. The lush pop of “One More You” is as sunny as a summer breeze, with a delirious string quartet and Burns almost swooning as he delivers his yearning vocal. “Demon Mine” brings to mind George Harrison on belladonna, but the bright melody, soaring guitars, and cheerful harmonies make the tune sound more playful than sinister. “Savage Teen” inhabits an odd space between space age jazz, exotica, and ’70s pop. The verse is laid-back and jazzy, with a meandering sax line and peculiar Moog accents, then the tune kicks into overdrive with a pounding, hook heavy ELO chorus that has just a hint of ska in its backbeat. The track closes quietly with an extended Moog/sax jam.

Burns closes the album with “Land of Trance”, an echo-heavy, psychedelic freak-out marked by moaning harmonies, screaming guitar solos, wobbling Moog accents, and vocals that sound like a disturbed inmate going off his meds. Crashing power chords, dramatic rhythmic accents, and swooping, distorted slide guitar create a mysterious, carnival-like atmosphere that slowly dissolves into a solitary acoustic guitar and a single, solemn voice intoning long, sustained, wordless lamentations.

Even in their early days, Burns and the Scruffs wore their inspirations on their sleeves. They made powerful, crunchy, guitar-heavy music, but never quite transcended their influences. The same is true here, but discovering the quotes and tributes that float through the tunes is part of the fun.

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