Revisionist history might have you believe that the sidelines are filled with superstars -- that studios are packed with rock legends and street corners are littered with prophets. Our stories are filled with unlikely victors: we see a young Jimmy Page as a session boy in London or a teenaged Bob Weir in Jerry Garcia’s Palo Alto guitar shop. But for every unexpected success, every lucky amateur, there are hundreds on the sidelines who will never see the field, destined to a life on the B Team.
This is an irony that has not escaped Kelly Pratt, a Brooklyn-based musician who has sidelined for everyone from The Arcade Fire to Beirut to Coldplay, quietly lending his talent on stage and in the studio. But here, the seasoned session man has taken control of the switchboards and put together an album of his own under the most appropriate moniker Team B.
With the help of well-worn sidemen Pat Mahoney (drummer for James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem) and Arcade Fire bassist Richard Reed Parry, Pratt’s B Team ambitions stretch wide but ultimately amount to little more than their title entails. Opening with what is undoubtedly their best track, Team B begins with down-tempo keystrokes on “On My Mind,” a well-packaged ode to pop that spares its predicable hooks and low production values, able to stand up to anything on drive-time radio. But the loops unravel when Pratt falls back on his b-game with the high school whine-fest “Hang Me,” and the eight songs that follow do little to string them back.
There are certainly moments in the big-hair licks of the glam-pop “No Purchase Necessary” and the cheery tugboat horns of “Life (Remix).” But these victories are few and far between, doing little to enliven the non-descript, uninspired tracks that make the album so forgettable. Here we see Pratt mixing and matching, following a droning post-rock number with an electro-clash interlude before erupting into a big-band doo-wop finale. But rather than range, it comes off as indecisive, and we’re left unable to pinpoint music that isn’t worth the effort to contemplate.
To his credit, Pratt is an excellent musician: his songs are often complex, and the parts intricate. If the album was created to stick on a resume like a calling card for his sideline services, then he has done a thorough job. But if, on the other hand, he is looking to perform on the main stage, he ought to go back to where he came from.
1. On My Mind
2. Hang Me
3. Tons of Fun
4. Mystery Man
5. No Purchase Necessary
6. Redd's Opus K647
7. Misma
8. Empty Hallways
9. Life (Remix)
10. Salad Days
More about: Team B
