Madison power-pop quartet BingBong shows chutzpah in naming their debut album Pop Restoration. Who are these guys and gals to take on the task of restoring pop? They’re not bad candidates for the task, actually. The baker’s dozen songs here evince the influence of Badger State forebears in their genre such as fellow Madisonians Spooner and Milwaukee’s Shivvers. That is to say that BingBong have the chiming guitar jangle and lyrics articulately detailing the complexities of romantic pursuit and conquest that define powerful poppiness.
Singing rhythm guitarist Pam Barrett sells those tales of the heart’s longing with an adept balance of yearning and cool while Danny Hicks’ six-string licks respond in kind. The quartet’s relatively advanced ages and gender-mixed makeup add a sage wrinkle and unique background vocalizing to Restoration that more youthful acts aren’t going to summon. More brevity in their songwriting might help BingBong next time around; compositions over four minutes’ length aren’t quite at power pop’s heart. Still, their Restoration remains impressive.
