American Music Club Fearless Cape Canaveral In the Shadow of the Valley What Holds the World Together I Broke My Promise I'll Be Gone California Dreamin' [*] - American Music Club, Phillips, John [1] As the critically acclaimed San Franciscan quintet got tired of rave reviews and low album sales, they opted to turbo-charge their sound by emphasizing guitarist Vudi's distorted rave-ups at the expense of the subtler shad... more »ings of Bruce Kaphan's pedal steel. As AMC's final album, it's a schizophrenic landmark. The striking quiet numbers ("Fearless," "Cape Canaveral"), the Pepsi Generation power anthems ("It's Your Birthday," "Wish the World Away"), the funky dance party groovers ("I'll Be Gone," "Can You Help Me?"), and the oblique cuts ("In the Shadow of the Valley") all meet butt up against one another to make for an exciting, eclectic collection that never quite comes together. But brilliant, nonetheless. EMI. 1994.