"At first it was kinda hard to wrap my brain around Makar's debut CD, 99 Cent Dreams. The album definitely harkens back to an earlier age or idea with its late 60's' Go Go guitars, community theater boy/girl vocals, and healthy dose of boogie piano. It finally hit me - Makar sounds like an early 70's rock musical, filled with furry do-gooders all oddly earnest and projecting on a stage of rainbows and karma. With a vibe that's both reverent folk revivalism and (possibly) tongue-in-cheek pastiche, 99 Cent Dreams owes as much to the "Jeepers Creepers" sketch from Mr. Show as it does to Hair. If could be a well-played goof but offers enough in terms of arrangement and melodies to cover itself in case its not. On "The Country Songs", Mark Purnell's Vanagon blues vocals are periodically interrupted by sharp yelps from second vocalist Andrea DeAngelis, leading me to picture them both in technicolor dream coats on a stage mugging for a stoned, easy going audience. DeAngelis carries "What Can I Tell You" with an enjoyable blend of the Supremes and Suzi Quatro, simultaneous lush and chrome for what's probably the album's standout song. The title track, like much of the record, is really peppy and sunny, throwing in narrative tempo changes and a big blustry coda. Closer "Andrea" turns down the starshine with some minor key emotionalism after "I Don't Know God" sways its way through some mid-tempo coffee shop existentialism. While not your average folk/pop release, 99 Cent Dreams certainly displays its fair share of musical talent and theatrical bombast. Its biggest weak point is its marathon length. 18 full tracks (i.e not Bob Pollard length) are tough to take from any artist, to say nothing of a new artist that much of the time sounds like the closing number of an old episode of Josie & the Pussycats. If you're feeling groovy however, this could be just the thing."
Makar - 99 Cent Dreams
by rooney
September 07, 2005
http://bluemag.com/reviews/archives/001692.html
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