MAD Action are Philadelphia brothers Paul and Ryan Cobb, and like their basement buddies Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, they are fixated with another set of siblings, Jim and William Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain.
Opening track Time Of Dying, Fry and Oh Yes would be most at home on the pedal-pushing Scots' Darklands album, and there are plenty more in that underground ilk.
The duo presented 180 basement-tape songs to Loog Records, then sardine-packed 19 on to two EPs and asked Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie to sprinkle his magical dust over 13 prime cuts for And Begin. And when moody meets Broudie on these Mary Chain, Guided By Voices and Pavement pastiches, there is a tad too much corn on the Cobbs' melodious indie pop.
Their only missing ingredient is the grit of individuality; more balls to go with the ballads.
Updated: 08:59 Thursday, August 12, 2004
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