Bobb Trimble, Iron Curtain Innocence (side A)

Bobb Trimble's 1980 debut Iron Curtain Innocence was released in a tiny vinyl run and reached wider visibility in 2007 with this reissue.  Trimble's high tenor and long-haired cover image draw obvious influence of power-pop bands like the Raspberries.  The bright, modern studio production of the album (which mastering seems to have emphasized) also owes an obvious debt to 70s commercial hits.  Juxtaposed with this pop music influence is a darker, stranger side to Trimble's persona.  He's holding a rifle next to his Guild guitar on the cover, and the songs deviate far from conventional pop structures and melodies.  Introversion and extroversion are utilized somewhat arbitrarily, without either side of Trimble's approach winning out.