What If It Works?

The Loud Family and Anton Barbeau

Omnivore Recordings

Originally out in 2006, this is a welcome reissue, since most of the late Scott Miller’s Loud Family albums haven’t been. It’s a classic album. Scott and Anton balance each other perfectly, as do the mixture of covers and originals.

This was the final Loud Family album before Scott’s death, as Supercalifragile was issued posthumously, and he went out on top. There isn’t a bad song in the bunch, which also goes for Anton's contributions. My favorite from Anton is “Pop Song 99.” From Scott, it's “Mavis Of Maybelline Towers.”

This deluxe reissue has a second album of demos and outtakes. The songs were good from the get-go, even in acoustic guitar form for the most part, and those that are rocked up a little, like the drum machine on “Don’t Bother Me While I’m Living Forever,” show the outlines even more of what would become finished songs.

So if you’re a fan like me, cherish this, as there may not be any more Loud Family re-releases or previously unreleased Scott recordings for the foreseeable future, if ever. You won’t go wrong in buying this album.

Andrea Weiss