Many musicians cringe at their teenage band: they can be messy tributes to the rock stars on their bedroom walls, with lyrics not far beyond 8th grade poetry. To wit: Six years before releasing Starflyer 59 and Joy Electric's debuts, respectively, teenage brothers Jason and Ronnie Martin were signed to a small label, Narrowpath, that went bankrupt. "Sweet Charity" – which comes to us from Tales, an album recorded in 1988 but unreleased until recently – has a sparkling sweetness heavily indebted to New Order and The Cure. But this lost gem offers a window to the sounds that have stayed with the brothers Martin for decades after.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
