From KUT's Jeff McCord's end of year picks January 5, 2006
 

Many great albums on the home front this year, as usual. There’s so much to choose from but here are a few clear standouts...

For you ‘New Sincerity’ fans, ex-Reiver and Wannabes combine in the songwriting collective known as The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem (don’t ask). Their Songs for Housework is an Austin roots-rock delight.

-Jeff McCord

From Austin American Statesman July 5, 2005
 

"Consisting of former members of the Reivers, Wannabes and Javelin Boot, Fire Marshals of Bethlehem sounds little like those power poppish bands, though there's no shortage of hummable melodies. Julie Lowery sings the songs of John Croslin and Kevin Carney with a shimmering detachment, brought in by harmony vocals like an interesting bottle washed ashore. Undercoating all the songcraft is the violin of Jenny Smith; an elegant touch to show this to be no hobby album.

The material in uniformly strong, but the standout is "Bed Bed," its lovely "surprise me/ nightly" chorus throwing lush covers over disturbing lyrics that seem to be about insomnia gone wild. I take it back -- that could be a Reivers song."

-M.C.Michael Corcoran
From No Depression issue #57
 

"Though rock rooted in blues, country and folk remains Austin's signature blend, a brainy brand of alterna-pop has long flourished in this college town as well. Hooks, harmonies (often boy-girl), buoyant melodies and literate lyrics have been the hallmarks of Austin faves from the Wild Seeds to Grains Of Faith to Timbuk 3, with the Reivers (originally Zeitgeist) providing early inspiration by making a national splash in the mid-late 1980s.

After subsequently establishing himself as one of the town's leading indie producers, former Reivers leader John Croslin returns here with guitarist Kevin Carney and bassist Hunter Darby (late of the Wannabes, one of the many Austin bands produced by Croslin) and drummer David Mider (ex-Javelin Boot).

While the men carry most of the musical credentials, with Croslin producing and writing the majority of the material, the two women who complete the lineup provide the sextet's distinguishing features. The folk-rock lilt of Julie Lowery's lead vocals and the bittersweet tinge of Jenny Smith's violin make for a beguiling blend that evokes comparisons with the likes of 10,000 Maniacs while extending the legacy of Croslin's former band.

The angular riffing and propulsive rhythm of "Rock for Your Pockets" give this seasoned debut a stirring opener, while the jangle of "From You" and "Bed Bed" practically cries for '60s handclaps in the arrangements. The lone songwriting contribution from Lowery, "Rabbit," provides the centerpiece highlight, with Smith's violin evoking an Irish reel as the melody suggests a pop innocence that predates rock (you can almost hear Doris Day or Patti Page in Lowery's phrasing).

Though the latter half of the album sinks in to a midtempo torpor - with Croslin's "Famous Lover" in particular suffering from post-collegiate preciousness - the band rebounds with the sprightly finale of Carney's "Please Don't Worry." " - Don McCleese

From Pop Culture Press issue #60
 
"The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem are the best band to come out of Texas since the True Believers in 1985, melodic, intelligent, near-perfect pop/rock. This is certainly the most significant Texas release of the '00s. The F-Mob, as their fans are starting to call them, are the first new band in nearly 15 years featuring John Croslin, the singer/guitarist/songwriter of Austin's beloved Zeitgeist/The Reivers, who made several landmark albums in the '80s. He'd considered himself retired for years, moving to California and producing records for acts like Pavement, Guided By Voices, Waylon Jennings & the Old 97s, The Damnations TX, and The Wannabes. Now back in Austin, he hooked up with sultry vocalist Julie Lowery, David Mider of Javelin Boot, and Kevin Carney & Hunter Darby from one of Austin's best post-Replacements, post-True Believers, post-Zeitgeist pop/rock bands, The Wannabes. The resulting album is magnificent. The sound is a smooth, soothing mix of harmonic jangle. With Jenny Smith's violin adding lovely warm color to the proceedings, the album has AAA radio written all over it. The lead-off track "Rock For Your Pockets" is perhaps the most reminiscent of Zeitgeist, and the most immediately catchy track on the album. With four songwriters in the band, you'd expect to be able to tell the songs apart by songwriter, but personally, after having an advance of the album for five months, it all sounds remarkably like the work of one writer to me -- a real unified band sound. "Crazy" and "Please Don't Worry" have hit single potential written all over them. Songs For Housework, on the other hand, as I write this in February, is clearly the album to beat for my favorite album of 2005." - Kent H. Benjamin