Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking

UK version features on bonus track, 'One Step Ahead'. The debut album from the all-girl rock trio and is jam-packed with unforgettable hooks, harmonies and beautiful lyrics including the singles 'What I Say And What I Mean' & 'June Gloom. Universal. 2006.

To dismiss the first album by L.A. girl band The Like as the product of mere nepotism -- band members Z. Berg (guitar/vocals), Charlotte Froom (bass) and Tennessee Thomas (drums) are the progeny of A&R man Tony Berg, producer Mitchell Froom and Attractions drummer Pete Thomas, respectively, while the album title winks at a hit by the equally gene-connected ‘60s teen-rock trio Dino, Desi and Billy – would be to miss one of the most assured and satisfying debuts in many a year. If anything, that music biz lineage has only steeped them in a rich, impressively eclectic range of influences. Deftly produced with an ear towards sonic depth and emotional complexity by former Prince bandmate Wendy Melvoin, the ethos here is considerably more intriguing than cliched, jangly West Coast Bangles guitar pop. Though barely out of high school, the trio instead dishes up elegiac, shimmering gems like "We Are Lost," and "The One" with wistful weariness, while injecting more indie-spirited songs like the hook-rich "Bridge to Nowhere," "Mrs. Actually" and the thumping openers "June Gloom" and "What I Say.." with inflections of everything from The Pretenders to more contemporary UK acts like Ride and The Sundays. Berg's voice is a marvel of mature, expressive restraint that belies her tender age, while the rhythm section of Froom and Thomas power it all with inventive, airtight chops throughout. --Jerry McCulley