Following Radiohead’s lead, Wonderlick—a
little-known California pop duo featuring former members of ’90s
alterna-poppers Too Much Joy—asked fans to preorder their second full-length
CD, Topless at the Arco Arena, and
pay whatever they wanted for it. Little did Wonderlick realize that individuals
would shell out as much as $500 for that privilege.
Perhaps even more fascinating is that Topless at the Arco Arena’s title was inspired by an engaging essay written by Tim Quirk (one-half of Wonderlick) that draws parallels between a woman baring her breasts at a 2001 AC/DC gig in Sacramento, Calif., and the dot-com boom and eventual bust. The piece originally appeared in the 2004 anthology This Is Pop and is reprinted in the album’s liner notes. Its theme permeates nearly every one of these 16 intoxicating songs, with Wonderlick’s dreamy pop rock reaching for arty overtones.
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