"For the better part of a decade or more, Vancouver's the Burnettes have done their best to not be noticed while making some of the most informed and poetic misty indie rock music that pays homage to an era of honest folk rock bands while remaining somehow fresh and independent. With a bunch of records under their belts and nothing to prove, the Burnettes are back with their latest record, A Boy & A Girl....."
"Chicken-scratch guitar, cantina accordion, and raised-on-Cracker vocals all add up to the best song about television’s most sickeningly wholesome family since, well, ever."
There is a charming homespun aura emanating from A Boy And A Girl, the Burnettes fourth CD. Neither Cora nor Chris Burnette are polished musicians but there is something very appealing about the honesty of their lyrics and casualness of their performances. The album starts with the wheeze of accordion and oompah of brass to kick off "All For Yourself" and is rousing fun. About halfway through it takes on an air reminiscent of Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere without the long jamming. The album's one cover is Tom Petty's "American Girl," which isn't the telltale clue to the record you might expect...."
The Burnettes have perfected imperfection. The buzz saw guitar tones, the sloppy solos and the warm electrical hum that pervade the whole of Nothing Ever Happens Here prove that feeling and energy have more to do with making a good record than technical precision. “All My Time” takes lead-heavy riffs and buries the vocals. “Arhythmic Heart” turns a ’50s prom ballad into a jangly heartbreaker (working even with a steel drum solo). Then “Small Factory in the Valley” shimmers with sincerity, vibrato and whacked-out pedal effects. Chugging their way through hypnotic laments, The Burnettes effortlessly recall the glory of mid-’90s slacker rock without sounding dated. Bringing bluesy delivery to an indie sensibility, this is a whole new generation of electric white-boy blues.