CD Review of Prabir & The Substitutes (Local band)

Prabir & The Substitutes “Five Little Pieces” (self-released)

Lead singer/guitarist Prabir Mehta moved to the United States from India when he was just a kid, but to listen to his preferred blend of ‘60s-influenced power pop, you’d think he was raised in British pubs studying the Beatles and The Zombies. The former Rachel Nevadan’s latest band has been touring steadily, earning fans with acclaimed shows that flex equal parts saccharine sweet pop and ecstatic, roots influenced rockers.
Recorded locally by John Morand at the Sound of Music, the band’s latest effort captures their hungry live sound well. It starts out with “The Kiss,” a melancholy ‘70s-styled ballad with sleepy slide guitar, la-la backing vocals, and Mehta’s confident lead vocals recalling shades of an adenoidal young Elvis Costello. Then it kicks into high gear with the raucous bar rocker, “Bad Days Are A Comin’” highlighted again by Mehta (he’s a good screamer) with rollicking piano flourishes from Charlie Glenn. Mostly, Mehta leads the group through concise, melodic pop/rock numbers while the other four members back him with the sort of structured looseness that is tougher than it sounds. Heavy cymbal workouts, organ coloring, and treble-thin guitar riffs all add significantly to the sweat factor. If Mehta ever matched his impressive vocal presence with a more meaty lyrical realism (like, say, The Hold Steady) the Substitutes might make some real noise. For now, file them alongside modern bands like Dr. Dog who inject youthful passion into well-traveled veins of music, returning to the basics for inspiration.