Review
Daily Vault Dec-15-2000

Sometimes, it doesn't pay for me to read the liner notes to an album. Take Oh Well, the independent debut from Austin, Texas-based The Mentals. Lead guitarist/vocalist Steve Tobin was working on these songs in 1998, and had even booked out professional studio time, when he was involved in a car accident that nearly killed him. It would be nearly one year before Tobin could play guitar again, so he has offered up this collection of "live in the studio" efforts.

After reading that, how could I dare to say something negative about Tobin and The Mentals? Well, call me the devil or whatever you wish, but Oh Well is a portrait of a group in development, showing some strong points but often revealing their flaws.

Now, I'm not going to knock the production quality of this disc, for the simple reason that Tobin admits in the liner notes that he was going for a very raw sound. This he has indeed captured - and I tend to think this is the right sound for a band like The Mentals.

On first listen to Oh Well, you might sit back and wonder if you didn't pop in Nirvana's debut Bleach by mistake. The two bands have more in common than you think: power trios, punk-influenced alternative music not afraid to plow their own paths, and singers who aren't exactly top-notch but get the job done.

If there were one major weakness to The Mentals, I'm sorry to say it, but it would be Tobin's vocals. There are times on Oh Well where his vocals don't even come close to being in the key of the song he's playing. If The Mentals were to bring in a singer and allow Tobin to focus on his guitar playing, the stakes would rise significantly for them.

It's not that Oh Well is without merit; if you follow the Nirvana thread, I actually liked this disc more than I liked Bleach. Tracks like "Virgin Mary," "Valium," "Home" and "Bell Jar" all show that The Mentals were a band with promise in 1998. And while the down time was obviously not the best thing to happen to Tobin, in the end it could prove to have benefits that will be seen down the road.

I can't say that Oh Well is the kind of disc I'd want to leave in the CD changer to join my permanent playlist, but the album does suggest better things to come from this group. Here's hoping that Tobin has completely recovered from his injuries, and that The Mentals's new music proves me right.

By Christopher Thelen Daily Vault