"I'm sick of writing songs that gotta make sense and put a tear in somebody's eye," goes the endearing chorus to "Na Na Baby Goodbye." The song is a cuddly ode to the feel-good pop of yesteryear delivered with a nod to They Might Be Giants and The B-52s. It's among a clutch of fun, catchy, energetic tunes on the debut disc by Clearwater-based band Stone Marmot. This is smile and shake-it music that would make for a great dance party. Too bad the quartet seen illustrated in the liner notes won't be gracing any area stages in the foreseeable future. Stone Marmot is an Archies-style creation by musician/visual artist and self-dubbed "man behind the curtain" Andrew Karpinski. 3 stars
This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2007.