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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2018 14:49:18 GMT -5
I've long been wanting to do a Discography Review but couldn't find the right angle for it. No artist that's not already covered really stoked my interest (I considered a solo Beatles run-through but decided I didn't hate myself that much). However, Nudeviking 's coverage of the Pitchfork "Best of the '80s" rundown and Rainbow Rosa 's review of Starostin's "Most Offensive Albums" list have inspired me to revisit one of my favorite pieces of music analysis in the past few years, Spin magazine's " Blame Nirvana: The 40 Weirdest Post-Nevermind Major-Label Albums." The theme of the feature is, during the early-to-mid '90s, major labels were in a signing frenzy, looking for the next Nirvana, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, etc. This madness led the majors to ink contracts for some astonishingly uncommercial bands that never would have been granted major distribution otherwise. These are the 40 "weirdest" releases from those groups. While some of the groups listed are well-known in alternative rock circles (Melvins, Jesus Lizard, Ween, Butthole Surfers), there are many, many more that I've never heard. So, this will be an opportunity to check out, ostensibly, some of the most unique and confounding examples of '90s alt-rock and metal, subgenres that I lost track of after discovering hip-hop, electronic, post-punk, noise, jazz, and other forms in the latter part of that decade. It's also a chance to laugh at the cluelessness of the record industry in the years leading up to the collapse of the industry's commercial fortunes. Lastly, it's a relatively short list compared to what others have undertaken. Along the way, I'll be sharing interesting tidbits about the band's unlikely signing to a major label and other musical connections possessed by the groups. So, join me on this journey of self-discovery and many, many detuned guitars. (You'll notice there are actually only 39 albums listed. That's because I omitted one entry that had multiple bands listed without representative records.) Cell – Slo*BloRollerskate Skinny – Horsedrawn WishesGorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Introducing…His Name Is Alive – Mouth by MouthBabes in Toyland – FontanelleSammy – Tales of Great Neck GloryMercury Rev – BocesMedicine – Shot Forth Self LivingV-3 – Photograph BurnsCancer – Black FaithTrenchmouth – Vs. The Light of the SunNapalm Death – Fear Emptiness DespairSteel Pole Bath Tub – Scars From Falling DownDrive Like Jehu – Yank CrimeFlaming Lips – Hit To Death In the Future HeadEntombed – Wolverine BluesGallon Drunk – From The Heart of TownBakamono – The Cry of the Turkish Fig PeddlerButt Trumpet – Primitive EnemaFudge Tunnel – Creep DietsEthyl Meatplow – Happy Days, SweetheartClaw Hammer – Thank the Holder Uppers Foetus – GashRoyal Trux – Sweet SixteenUnsane – Total DestructionCop Shoot Cop – Ask Questions LaterMr. Bungle – Disco VolantePell Mell – InterstateFlipper – American GrafishyMelvins – StagGod – PossessionTad – Infrared Riding HoodMorbid Angel – DominationWeen – Pure GuavaJesus Lizard – ShowThomas Jefferson Slave Apartments – Bait & Switch Butthole Surfers – Piouhgd Daniel Johnston – Fun Boredoms – Pop Tatari
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2018 14:55:48 GMT -5
Cell – Slo*Blo (1993, David Geffen Company) Youtube playlistWho They Were: A New York City indie-rock quartet whose only previous release was a 7" on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label. Not much else information about them appears to exist online. How They Got on a Major Label: The endorsement of Moore (Cell drummer Keith Nealy was a guitar tech for Sonic Youth) “Fall” – Dinosaur Jr. guitars and arrangement. This band apparently has two vocalist/guitarists but I can’t find any information on which one sings on each track here; the rasp on this particular singer makes him sound unmistakably like Bryan Adams. For a lead-off track, not particularly immediate or exciting. “Wild” – A few pretty standard couplets from the Bryan Adams guy and then an ill-advised instrumental wankery section, followed by more uninspired singing and lyrics. This record is really not getting my blood pumping. “Cross the River” – Simultaneous vocals from both singers, which is an improvement. The churning, thickly layered guitars were fine but I could have done without the wah-wahed solos. “Dig Deep” – Here’s finally the sort of Television/Sonic Youth guitar interplay that must have appealed to Thurston Moore. Also, what’s clearly the other singer in his first appearance employs a very Moore-like vocal cadence, which is welcome because that constant rasp without much range was getting quite tiresome. “Stratosphere” – For a song called “Stratosphere,” a stodgy rhythm section (their bass player is competent at best) keeps this one grounded. Dull. “Two” – Terrible track that mercifully ends before the 3:00 mark. “Everything Turns” – Slight improvement here, because the guitarists attempt to sound anthemic and the singer applies himself a bit for once. “Tundra” – Mid-tempo detuned chord workout that had become trite even by 1993. “Bad Day” – First and only appearance of an acoustic guitar, as well as soaring yet yearning electric six-string solos that remind me a little of Radiohead’s “Lucky,” and not in a negative way. Appropriately concise tune that’s not bad at all. “Hills” – Rote guitar, uninteresting vocals. I’m wistfully eyeing the extreme metal and psychedelic weirdness to come in this discography review and hoping nothing else sounds like this turd. Final Thoughts: Highly unmemorable, justly forgotten. No song really wears out its welcome but the singing and playing, with the arguable exception of “Dig Deep” and “Bad Day,” never approach distinctive or even passionate. Nothing about this music sounds distinct from the same mid-tempo layered guitar schtick that dozens of other bands were doing at this time. I have a suspicion that the subsequent bands on this list will be easier for me to write about evocatively, because this is the sort of sludgy, affectless stuff in the wake of grunge that led me to get bored with alternative rock in the ‘90s and seek out other stuff. So, how "weird" is it?: The only weird thing about this music is that Geffen seemed to think anyone would buy this tuneless, unremarkable approximation of much better bands. It's pretty clearly an indication of Thurston Moore's clout around DGC for landing Nirvana on their roster that Cell got even the time of day in their office. Best Track: “Dig Deep” Worst Track: “Two” What Was Next For This Band: 1994’s follow-up and final album for DGC, Living Room, would feature a more refined sound than Slo*Blo that’s frequently compared to Crazy Horse. After the band’s breakup, singer-guitarist Jerry DiRienzo would go on to form the band Ugly Beauty. Up Next: Rollerskate Skinny - Horsedrawn Wishes (1996)
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Post by Desert Dweller on Apr 1, 2018 15:47:11 GMT -5
Based on the list in your first post, I'm now curious to hear that Flaming Lips album. Is it really THAT different than everything else they've made?
Maybe I should go listen to it?
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Post by ganews on Apr 1, 2018 20:52:15 GMT -5
Cell – Slo*BloRollerskate Skinny – Horsedrawn Wishes Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Introducing… His Name Is Alive – Mouth by Mouth Babes in Toyland – Fontanelle Sammy – Tales of Great Neck Glory Mercury Rev – Boces Medicine – Shot Forth Self Living V-3 – Photograph Burns Cancer – Black Faith Trenchmouth – Vs. The Light of the Sun Napalm Death – Fear Emptiness Despair Steel Pole Bath Tub – Scars From Falling Down Drive Like Jehu – Yank Crime Flaming Lips – Hit To Death In the Future Head Entombed – Wolverine Blues Gallon Drunk – From The Heart of Town Bakamono – Cry of the Turkish Pig Fiddler Butt Trumpet – Primitive Enema Fudge Tunnel – Creep Diets Ethyl Meatplow – Happy Days, Sweetheart Claw Hammer – Thank the Holder Uppers Foetus – Gash Royal Trux – Sweet Sixteen Unsane – Total Destruction Cop Shoot Cop – Ask Questions Later Mr. Bungle – Disco Volante Pell Mell – Interstate Flipper – American Grafishy Melvins – Stag God – Possession Tad – Infrared Riding Hood Morbid Angel – Domination Ween – Pure Guava Jesus Lizard – Show Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments – Bait & Switch Butthole Surfers – Piouhgd Daniel Johnston – Fun Boredoms – Pop Tatari Fun! I've only heard of nine or ten of these artists. Looking forward to Foetus, just on the strength of J.G. Thirlwell's scoring for the Venture Brothers.
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Post by Nudeviking on Apr 2, 2018 3:18:49 GMT -5
Why did I not pick this list to review instead? I have so many of these goddamn albums in my CD collection and actually like(d) many of them.
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Rainbow Rosa
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Apr 2, 2018 12:01:53 GMT -5
This sounds fun.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2018 10:20:41 GMT -5
Rollerskate Skinny - Horsedrawn Wishes (1996, Warner Brothers) Youtube playlist+ "All Mornings Break"+ "Shimmer Son Like a Star"Who They Were: Dublin musicians Ken Griffin (vocals/guitar), Ger Griffin (guitar), and Stephen Murray (bass/guitar) had been playing in bands together since the 1980s. In 1992, they enlisted Jimi Shields, brother of My Bloody Valentine mastermind Kevin, as a multi-instrumentalist to become the new group Rollerskate Skinny. The band released a few EPs and a full-length, the well-regarded Shoulder Voices, in 1993 on indie label Placebo. The group would subsequently tour with bands including Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, and Mazzy Star. However, Shields departed the band prior to their signing with Warner Brothers. How They Got on a Major Label: Increasing hype and media by the mid-90s, including performing in the Lollapalooza 1994 lineup. The Spin feature also reports that their enlistment on Warners' roster was "co-signed" by the Pumpkins and Mercury Rev, whatever that means. After a false start with the tuneless, apathetic Slo*Blo by Cell, I can only hope this record holds some surprises for me. Otherwise, this list is going to be a tortuous slog. However, despite my reluctance to read reviews before listening to the record, I've seen on band profiles that Rollerskate Skinny are still held in high regard (more on that later). So that gives me some hope about this listen.
"Swingboat Yawning" - Sharp production. Interesting use of bells. The chiming guitars are well deployed and this does indeed swing. "Cradle Burns" - Wow, this is actually coming together great, between the vocal harmonies and interplay, the raging guitars playing perfectly into the overall swirling psychedelic melange of funny noises. "One Thousand Couples" - A loud/soft/loud barn burner, interspersed with glockenspiel stuff but fundamentally an effortless rocker that could have been a radio hit (expect to see that phrase a lot during this discography review). "Swab The Temples" - Cool, albeit short, hyperactive pile-up of noises with vocals that suggest a more gauzy version of what Beck was doing with Odelay this year. "Speed To My Side" - Produced to the hilt (but, then again, I have a longstanding predilection for maximalist production). It's got a dance beat, MBV-level guitar overdubs, and warped samples. It's 90s to the max! "All Mornings Break" - An acoustic number...until the (not unwelcome) vocal looping and electro beat comes in. "Man Under Glass" - Hey look, a live drummer (they apparently used them only sparingly). We start Side 2 of the record (records of course being the preeminent format of 1996), with a remarkably deft psychedelic tune. "Shimmer Son Like a Star" - There's an effortlessness to these guys that produce some superb rockers. Can't fault it at all. "Angela Starling" - Strange Western-movie opening gives away to a rock break and then vice-versa. It's got some organ in it, but I can't say it's all there as a song. "Ribbon Fat" - This band's melodic chops had already been conclusively showcased by the second half of the album, and this turn to collaboratively playing with a drummer (as opposed to studio mastery) in the second half is an interesting and smart turn. This is a very solid rocker in the early 90s guitar blare fashion. "Thirsty European" - Wordy (and, to my ears, silly) literate mid-90s rock, but delivered with enough panache and musical twists that I can't dislike it. "Bell Jars Away" - Appropriate bombast on the orchestration for this album and the guys delivering some heartfelt vocals. And then it ends on a beautiful string section playing us off. Perfect. Final thoughts: A couple of missteps aside, this record was an absolute blast. As state of the art in 1996 as DJ Shadow's Endtroducing... or, again, Beck's Odelay. I think I'll be purchasing this one. So, How "Weird" Is It?: I think Horsedrawn Wishes was a victim of timing in 1996. Listeners were still contending with the waning days of greyscale grunge and it would be a few years before this sort of complex, heavily orchestrated psychedelic pop was de rigueur again (think Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin or some Elephant6 collective records). Nonetheless, there are enough out-and-out rock 'n' roll moments on this album that it should have been a bigger hit. Ugly album cover probably didn't help (what was it about '90s CD covers with garish figurines?). Best Track: "Cradle Burns" Worst Track: "Angela Starling" What Was Next For This Band: Broke up, though there is reportedly another album cut during the Warner Brothers contract that may never see the light of day. All the members of the band formed new groups and Trouser Press described Dead City Sunbeams by Ken Griffin's project Kid Silver as "very possibly the most unfairly overlooked album of the late '90s." Horsedrawn Wishes continues to be popular and influential in Ireland, with The Irish Times and Hot Press (based in Dublin) ranking it highly in "best album" polls in the last 15 years. Up Next: Some Welsh weirdness with Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Introducing…
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Rainbow Rosa
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Apr 3, 2018 10:40:22 GMT -5
Oh yes, the band with the unspellable name that did SFA before SFA. Fascinating!
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Apr 3, 2018 17:02:22 GMT -5
I’m really excited about Gorky’s zygotic [monkey for anyone wondering], but does this mean I should skip Foetus, which was nominated for my Oceanic music thread?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2018 17:56:42 GMT -5
I’m really excited about Gorky’s zygotic [monkey for anyone wondering], but does this mean I should skip Foetus, which was nominated for my Oceanic music thread? Hi, thanks for the excitement. J.G. Thirlwell has a pretty extensive discography; maybe you can just choose another one than Gash? Or just do it--you're a better music writer than I am anyway.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Apr 3, 2018 21:33:35 GMT -5
I’m really excited about Gorky’s zygotic [monkey for anyone wondering], but does this mean I should skip Foetus, which was nominated for my Oceanic music thread? Hi, thanks for the excitement. J.G. Thirlwell has a pretty extensive discography; maybe you can just choose another one than Gash? Or just do it--you're a better music writer than I am anyway. Thanks! I think I'll wait for your review and then decide if I need to explore further. Discography review threads are fun! I hope you enjoy this most worthy endeavor.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2018 11:40:34 GMT -5
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Introducing... (1996, Polygram) Who They Were: The band was formed in the early ‘90s by three students in Carmathenshire, Wales: Euros Childs (vocals/keyboards), John Lawrence (vocals/guitar), and Richard James (bass). They would later enlist Childs’ sister Megan on violin and sign with indie label Ankst, which would release their EPs and original two full-lengths Tatay and Bwyd Time. How They Got on a Major Label: Influential BBC DJ John Peel took a shine to them. Other than that, no solid information on how they got on Polygram’s radar. After a long absence, I’m returning to this feature. Work situation depending, I’ll try to update every few days.
This was a difficult album to review, as it’s ostensibly a compilation by Polygram Records of the band’s first two releases and the compilation album doesn’t seem to exist as a whole in online form. However, it doesn’t appear that some of the songs were previously released on the indie records (unless they’d been retitled). So, I’ve linked the tracks where I can find them and I’ll try to evaluate this album on the songs themselves.
Anyway, I see commenters have compared Gorky’s to Super Furry Animals, a band I was only vaguely aware of during their heyday, so I guess I still don’t know what to expect.1. Merched Yn Neud Gwallt Eu GilyddAfter a bit of descending notes, we get our obligatory early ‘90s blast of guitar. Not even withstanding the references to not going to school in the morning, it’s a very high school band sort of song but in a good enough way with keyboard silliness and precious interludes. The Welsh lyrics add some neat texture to the vocals. 2. If Fingers Were XylophonesI could only find this on a Youtube video with very muddled sound. The sound is so bad I really can’t say anything about the songwriting quality except that it might be decently whimsical, if cloying. The title text introducing the video makes me think this must have been one of the singles from the early album on the indie label. 3. Pentref Wrth y MorIt’s definitely endearing to hear a teenager (or a guy just out of his teenage years) singing so yearningly in Welsh. The least frenetic track so far, with nice deployment of organ and slide guitar. The video also amused me when one guy slapped another with a kelp pod. 4. The Game of EyesIncredible String Band was a major touchstone for these guys, I’m guessing. This dives deep into the carnival silliness of those era’s psych bands. Still, I’d rather listen to this than some mope-and-rock from the early ‘90s. 5. Kevin AyersEven fey-er psych whimsy. Wisely ends at 1:43. In case anyone is wondering, Kevin Ayers was a prolific prog-pop musician starting out in the ‘70s and was the original bass player for The Soft Machine. 6. Miss TrudyAfter underwhelming sing-speaking and lounge piano in the intro, we’ve got a perfectly decent psych-pop number with the first prominent use of violin. It hangs together pretty well and the singer seems to have finally found the right pitch for his voice after what I’m assuming is some juvenilia on some earlier tracks. 7. Why Are We Sleeping? Speaking of Kevin Ayers, it’s apparently a Soft Machine cover. Starts off with church organ, briefly turns into a second-tier Britpop song, and then a repetitive horn part and a single-note bassline plays us off for 2 ½ minutes. Not very good, yet the video, while not exactly expensively produced, looks like it was intended for their major single from the album. 8. Y Fford OrenIf there was ever an album that needed an unpretentious rocker as a palate cleanser, it’s this one, which is what we have here. After the requisite keyboard wankery, it’s got the singer doing both his speak-singing and cooing, but with much more confidence than earlier tracks. Still like the texture of the Welsh lyrics. 9. Methu Aros Tan HafVery nice vocal harmonies on this one. Outside the fuller production, it’s absolutely indistinguishable from one of the Canterbury scene bands that the band obviously reveres, but the band is tight and the vibe is good. 10. EiraRefreshingly minor key organ grounds this one. And then things got weird (a guitar and synth freakout at the end). 11. Iechyyd DaPretty folk tune with a bit of riffage. As will become a regular theme of this feature, this is the track I pinpoint as the radio single that made the band famous were that the label cared about and/or knew what to do with them (this will not apply to the extreme metal albums on the list). Granted, a Welsh-titled song probably isn't the easiest thing to sell to radio programmers. 12. Moon Beats YelloEffects-laden, keyboard-heavy songs featuring horns seem to be the milieu this band excels in. Over too quickly. 13. Box AngelicaAs with many of their songs, it leans too heavily on the psychedelic trappings. Oh well, they were just starting out. Final thoughts: More than anything, there’s a pervasive sense of fun on this compilation that is infectious, even if the songs frequently don’t hold up. Hey, early-to-mid ‘90s, playing in a band is actually supposed to enjoyable. So, How "Weird" Is It?: I do wonder where a group of talented Welsh teenagers got the idea to imitate English psychedelic folks bands of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. Was it just in the ether in Wales, or did they gravitate to their parents’ records collections? Regardless, I think this band was a decade before its time. They would have been right at home in the minor movement of “freak-folk” in the early 2000s (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, rediscovery of Vashti Bunyan, etc.). Best Track: I don’t know. I guess “Merched Yn Neud Gwallt Eu Gilydd” captures them at their youngest and hungriest Worst Track: “Box Angelica” What Was Next For This Band: After the Polygram-distributed release of Introducing..., the band signed with Fontana Records, which was a sister label of Mercury. They were dropped after their fifth album, after which they signed with Mantra Recordings, for which they delivered three albums. The band split in 2006. Up Next: The first record on this list that I’m actually quite familiar with: His Name Is Alive’s Mouth by Mouth.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2018 13:00:09 GMT -5
His Name Is Alive – Mouth by Mouth (1993, Warner Brothers) Full album playlistWho They Were: A cast of rotating musicians surrounding bandleader Warren Defever, who had previously played bass in his brother’s band, the forgotten punk-rockabilly act Elvis Hitler. Defever, a native and lifelong resident of Livonia, Michigan, made tapes of his high school band and in college, which caught the ear of 4AD head Ivo Watts-Russell. The band released two full-lengths on 4AD, Livonia and Home Is in Your Head, heavily influenced by label-mates Cocteau Twins as well as My Bloody Valentine and other shoegaze and dream pop acts. By the time of Mouth by Mouth’s recording, the core band consisted of Defever, singer Karen Oliver, and drummer Trey Many. How They Got on a Major Label: Despite being officially a 4AD release, Warner Brothers distributed Mouth by Mouth for reasons unclear from internet sleuthing. I’ve bored TI Forumites with my championing of this band on more than one occasion. That said, I don’t pull out Mouth by Mouth nearly as much as I do its predecessor, Home Is in Your Head . Mouth by Mouth , by comparison, is much slicker and more commercial-sounding than that album, at least in my memory. Let’s see how I feel about it after not listening for a few years.
1. Baby Fish Mouth Sets the table: Pretty female vocals, 1993’s best home studio guitars, competent drumming. 2. Lip This band always appealed to me (at least in this era of the group; more on that in the “What Was Next” section) because of their aesthetic of homespun shoegaze. A contradiction in terms as shoegaze was the most absurdly overproduced rock music subgenre, yet we have some home-recorders from a Michigan backwater making it their own. Anyway, the vocals soar on this one. 3. Cornfield The guitars cool off and some cello sawing takes over, with the first instance of the dual vocals that the band excelled at on Home Is in Your Head. This is a good place to discuss the band’s major deficiency: the high-school level poetry of the lyrics. Warren was never a particularly good lyrics writer even though his bodily- and mental illness-obsessed themes seem to come from a place of honesty. 4. In Every Ford This is the song I could most see becoming a radio single in the early ‘90s, as it’s got a bouncy melody and the guitar work features both fashionable jangle and distortion blasts. However, it also contains lyrics like “keep your black hands out of my mouth,” which may have been too outré even for that time. 5. Lord, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace Probably the track most reminiscent of the band’s previous work, with the hymn-like quality of the vocals and the sampling of some gamelan and an unidentifiable wind instrument. 6. Drink, Dress, and Ink Basic tremolo guitar and Trey Many’s kick drum filling in where the bass would be. Unlike most songs on this album, this one sounds half-assed, including the occasional flat notes sung by Karen Oliver. 7. Where Knock Is Wide Pretty song, though with more odd, cloying lyrics. “The tongue is the fish in the mouth.” More mouths. If you can tolerate that line over an jangly acoustic guitar part, you can handle this band. Otherwise, move on. 8. Can’t Go Wrong Without You I love this song. Warren’s greatest home-production achievement, which is saying a lot. The stop-motion animated video by The Brothers Quay is worth a look, too. 9. Jack Rabbits Light surf-rock instrumental, foreshadowing the band’s next album Stars on ESP. 10. Sort Of More gamelan stuff, a short transition to the next track. 11. Sick For a home musician, Warren’s guitars have suppleness to them even in distortion mode. Fun, chanty song that alternates between the de rigueur crunchy guitars and some odd repeated sample. 12. Blue Moon Big Star cover. I’m betting Alex Chilton diehards would criticize this one as overproduced, but it’s still a very pretty song that had some commercial potential were that Warner Brothers actually gave a rat’s ass about this album. Karen Oliver’s singing really shines with Chilton’s lyrics. Also the best drumming on the record. 13. Ear A spoken-word track with bass and tacky drum machine about Vincent Van Gogh cutting off his ear and delivering it to a prostitute in 1888. 14. Lemon Ocean I always thought this was the secret destroyer of the album—the one that would turn people around on it. Killer vocal melody and the guitars float along like only the best dream pop can. 15. The Torso Ain’t much to this. More tremolo guitar without much point, though the vocals come close to redeeming it. 16. The Dirt Eaters A rerecorded song that was also the last track on Home Is in Your Head, this time with gauzier production. Not bad, as the vocals are characteristically strong and it sends off the albums with some uncharacteristic guitar heroics. The vocal sample is some Jack Nicholson dialogue from the movie Ironweed. Final thoughts: Pretty much how I remembered it. A quite solid album that could have put the band into a higher level of cult status (they were never going to be a Top 40 act) and landed them a gig opening for, I don’t know, Lush, in 1993, if only Warners had pushed for them harder. Despite its occasional bizarre detours in sound (“Can’t Go Wrong Without You,” “Sick”), it sounds, as compared with their other records, like an attempt to go huge with a major label. So, How "Weird" Is It?: In retrospect, it’s an extremely early ‘90s fashionable rock album, between its indie, lo-fi, and shoegaze sensibilities. However, who knows how it must have sounded to listeners at the time. There are definitely pop moments that could have broken through on college radio and maybe even reached the middle tiers of Billboard. Best Track: “Can’t Go Wrong Without You” Worst Track: “Drink, Dress, and Ink” What Was Next For This Band: Continuing to shed and replace band members, Defever would release four more albums for 4AD. Incredibly prolific (the Discogs page for HNIA lists 45 full-lengths by the band, many of them CDRs), the group would explore genres as disparate as dub, surf-rock, metal, and lo-fi R&B over the years. HNIA was dropped by 4AD in 2002 and Defever continues to record mostly through his Time Stereo and Silver Mountain Media Group imprints. Up Next: Back to a band and record I’m unfamiliar with: Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Jul 26, 2018 19:54:37 GMT -5
Gorky's I saw in 1995 at The Astoria in London. They were the second act after Mouse on Mars. Stereolab finished the night, and it was rapturous - the whole thing, truly. I had some one of Gorky's CD-singles. Regarding your open query: "Why did this happen?" It was in the ether of the times between 1995 - 1998. Britpop probably has some sinister "old boy network" corporate, fueled by central nervous system stimulants, underpinnings that may come to the light of day in a few years courtesy of Time Inc., now owner of NME, but Gorky's showed up in the mix of gigs and "necessary" BBC radio shows, heavily, between 1994 and 1997. Any pretension to being "in the know", "hip", or "part of the scene", and this band was a part of it during the named periods. I never enjoyed or got "into" His Name is Alive in my youth. A dear friend touted these guys as, as you noted in your review, "other", better shoegaze dream music. He DJ'd at Georgia Tech's WREK for a number of years. I tried. I had Home is in Your Head in the 90s. I felt the intensity of J&MC, MBV, The Flaming Lips, and Mercury Rev so much more than this band's work. Just being a blip in the data set doesn't make my choice valid or invalid; however, my response does make it personal. I just listened to Home today. I enjoyed the honest, toytown 4AD-like work.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2018 10:34:12 GMT -5
Gorky's I saw in 1995 at The Astoria in London. They were the second act after Mouse on Mars. Stereolab finished the night, and it was rapturous - the whole thing, truly. I had some one of Gorky's CD-singles. Regarding your open query: "Why did this happen?" It was in the ether of the times between 1995 - 1998. Britpop probably has some sinister "old boy network" corporate, fueled by central nervous system stimulants, underpinnings that may come to the light of day in a few years courtesy of Time Inc., now owner of NME, but Gorky's showed up in the mix of gigs and "necessary" BBC radio shows, heavily, between 1994 and 1997. Any pretension to being "in the know", "hip", or "part of the scene", and this band was a part of it during the named periods. I never enjoyed or got "into" His Name is Alive in my youth. A dear friend touted these guys as, as you noted in your review, "other", better shoegaze dream music. He DJ'd at Georgia Tech's WREK for a number of years. I tried. I had Home is in Your Head in the 90s. I felt the intensity of J&MC, MBV, The Flaming Lips, and Mercury Rev so much more than this band's work. Just being a blip in the data set doesn't make my choice valid or invalid; however, my response does make it personal. I just listened to Home today. I enjoyed the honest, toytown 4AD-like work. What a concert bill. Looking back, I would have killed to see a young and hungry Mouse on Mars and Stereolab in their prime.
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Jul 27, 2018 15:00:03 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 12:35:36 GMT -5
Babes in Toyland - Fontanelle (1992, Reprise) Full album Who They Were: A trio formed in Minneapolis in 1987, comprised of Kat Bjelland (vocals/guitar), Michelle Leon (bass), and Lori Barbero (drums). An early single on Sub Pop caught the ear of Sonic Youth, who invited the group to open for them on their 1990 European tour. Babes in Toyland would then record two full-lengths for Twin-Tone Records, Spanking Machine and To Mother, before being signed to Reprise. Michelle Leon left the group just prior to signing the major-label contract and was replaced by Maureen Herman. How They Got on a Major Label: As with the Cell entry, the endorsement of Sonic Youth (SY’s Lee Renaldo produced Fontanelle). I’m not familiar with this group but Allmusic describes them in the first line of their bio “as harsh as rock music gets” so this should be an interesting 180 from the deliberately pretty sonics of His Name Is Alive.
Fun fact: a fontanelle is the soft gap between the cranial bones in an infant. I only knew that word because it’s the name of the band (The Fontanelles) that Mike & The Bots suffer through a performance of in MST3K’s “Hobgoblins” episode. 1. Bruise Violet Pounds and then explodes like a monster. The singer has some cool dynamics with her voice, going from a screech to a disaffected coo to back again. 2. Right Now I dig how the bass sounds like the lower notes of a piano and, later, the guitar clangs like sheet metal. Lee Renaldo’s doing well by the musicians and this is some expertly played hybridized punk/metal. 3. Bluebell Sounds like a potential radio single and then the singer says “motherfucker, you don’t try to rape a goddess”, I think. Radio programmer: “Yeah, no.” 4. Handsome & Gretel Fun. Big Black levels of distortion and lack of noise reduction on the guitar. The singer deploys her guttural voice and things play out nicely. 5. Blood I haven’t given enough credit to the jittery rhythm section yet, particularly the drums. Lori Barbero has the rare talent of pounding and swinging in equal measure. 6. Magick Flute Renaldo’s production does a good job of intimating the feel of a warehouse show or some venue that isn’t exactly sanctioned. A bluesy number that’s a welcome detour from the noon-on-ten punk. 7. Won’t Tell Pixies soft-loud-soft dynamic, though the singer deploys a more doll-like voice than Kim Deal would ever deign to use. In another universe, the band’s major radio single that’s still played on a Sirius ‘90s station. It’s got a simple melody and I could guess it is a relatable story. 8. Quiet Room Chiming guitars on an instrumental that feels perfunctory and that never goes anywhere. Meh. 9. Spun This one didn’t grab me, despite Kat Bjelland’s screams. Too simple melody like “Quiet Room.” 10. Short Song What it says on the label. 11. Jungle Train Dueting Evil Dead demon shrieks and the singer’s cooing stuff. It’s pretty cool but inconsequential. 12. Pearl Pretty basic punk stuff. “The Devil’s dick makes us sick”? Come on. 13. Real Eyes Expert bass work on this. If I were creating a mixtape for a cool, feminist girl at my high school, this is the song I’d pull from this record. 14. Mother A little too conventional in its alt-rock churn. It rocks just fine, but I miss the hairpin turns of the first half of the album. 15. Gone Bjelland and her guitar accompanied by sounds of breaking glass and random screaming. Not bad, but another ass-kicking punk song would’ve been more welcome. Final thoughts: As the earliest-released record so far on this list (August 1992), it’s somewhat nebulous to say that it was a label’s reaction to the earliest commercial days of the grunge and riot girl punk explosion. That said, Babes in Toyland really don’t fit in those subgenres anyway—they’re somewhat reminiscent of Alice in Chains, another band that didn’t quite square with the Pacific Northwest sounds. I enjoyed this much more than expected in its technical skill and dynamic vocals, even though it sags somewhat in the second half. Some songs absolutely annihilate, some give off the impression of trying too hard. Still, recommended for fans of unpretentious early ‘90s hard rock. So, How "Weird" Is It?: For starters, I suspect that the Allmusic “as harsh as rock gets” description speaks more to Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s feelings about women in hard rock than the actual content. Maybe that’s more in reference to the band’s other albums, but this music’s far too varied to bear that characterization. Given that Lillith Fair was still 5 years away as a reaction to the idiotic exoticism of women in rock radio programming, I’m guessing labels still didn’t see a market for an all-female punk/metal troupe at the time. Best Track: "Right Now" Worst Track: "Quiet Room" What Was Next For This Band: Unlike most of the bands in this feature, Babes in Toyland actually had some commercial success during their time with the majors, with Fontanelle selling a quarter-million copies, the group joining the 1993 Lollapalooza tour, and the band appearing on the cover of Entertainment Weekly in 1995. However, the group was notoriously fractious, frequently breaking up and reforming. In 1996, a year after the release of their second album for Reprise, Maureen Herman left the band and the label had had enough, dropping them. That album, Nemesisters, would prove to be the last studio record for Babes in Toyland, though the band would continue playing together until 2001 and then reuniting for shows beginning in 2014. Up Next: Sammy with Tales of Great Neck Glory
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2018 12:18:46 GMT -5
Sammy – Tales of Great Neck Glory (1996, David Geffen Company) Who They Were: A duo formed in the early 90’s, with Jesse Hartman on vocals and guitar and Luke Wood on guitar. As is quickly becoming commonplace for bands on this list, they had a connection with Sonic Youth: their debut album (literally titled Debut Album) and follow-up EP were released on drummer Steve Shelley’s Smells Like record label. The group also had a split 7” with Blonde Redhead on the short-lived Misha Records. For major-label debut Tales of Great Neck Glory, the duo fleshed out the band with guest musicians including Alexis Fleisig of Girls Against Boys. No information on who the woman is on the album cover who’s not particularly enjoying the embrace. How They Got on a Major Label: The ultimate foot in the door on the part of Luke Wood, who had been employed as Geffen’s Director of Publicity and, later, Director of Marketing since 1991. Pretty much every online bio of these guys mentions comparisons with Pavement. Pavement is not a band I ever particularly liked yet I’ve heard a ton of their material because they were a favorite of my brother’s. If the allusions to a heavy influence by Malkmus & Co. are true, this could be rough going. 1. Possibly Peking Atavistic, supremely annoying guitar distortion opens this one. Plods along with Fisher-Price’s My First Guitar Riff and the singer…well, the singer at one point unleashes an “uh huh” exclamation that doesn’t so much scream “rock ‘n roll!” as “I got a free packet of fabric softener with my detergent!” 2. Encyclopedi-iteGiven that the band was frequently compared with Stephen Malkmus’ group, where Malkmus was noted for his obtuse wordplay, were Sammy hanging a lantern on that comparison with that title? Should I care when the music is this bereft of ideas? “Ooh, shake shake!” God this guy should not interject. 3. Slim StyleSure, some slacker rock, indistinguishable from literally every other practitioner of the style. Marcy Playground did this shit better. 4. Neptune Ave. The SammyVEVO account on Youtube definitely indicates this was the single from the album. I listened to an unhealthy amount of alt-rock radio in 1996 and I’m sure I never once encountered this song. The production is embarrassingly thin. Ah, there’s the woman from the album cover. Still looks pissed. 5. Buckle Up, SunshineSinger adopts his Lou Reed/Thurston Moore cadence (the Steve Shelley connection, perhaps) but the guitar work is so underdeveloped that Reed or Moore would kick your ass for playing it (I’ve met Moore and he’s reedy but like 6’6”). 6. Blue Oyster Bay [Not on Youtube or any other streaming service that I care to find] When starting out this feature, I thought I’d be purchasing some used CDs when streaming services were not available. I’m glad I didn’t end up pursuing that option because this album is garbage and any pennies they’re asking for it on Amazon would be better used to chuck at squirrels. Anyway, one more… 7. Chilling ExpertsEven by 1996 this slacker observational shit was so hackneyed, guys. Enough. You got out (more on that in the “What Was Next” section), we should too. Final Thoughts: I apologize to anyone who likes this record and was awaiting my review on the second half were that the songs easily available. Was Sonic Youth business-savvy enough to use their clout around David Geffen Company to flood the market with shitty approximations of better bands in order to make themselves look good? Between this and Cell (exception: Babes in Toyland), it sure seems like it. So, How “Weird” Is It?: There are no tunes here. At all. So I guess that’s “weird” for a major label to release. Best Track: [N/A] Worst Track: [N/A] What Was Next For This Band: The duo broke up shortly after the release of Tales of Great Neck Glory. The following year, Jesse Hartman would form the group Laptop, which has three full-length albums to date. More recently, Hartman has made his mark in film, directing some documentaries and music videos as well as co-producing Kelly Reichardt’s River of Grass and appearing in Larry Fessenden’s Habit. Meanwhile, Luke Wood has risen to the top of the music industry pile. After Sammy’s breakup, he would become Interscope’s Executive Vice President of A&R and he is currently the President of Beats Electronics (yes, Dr. Dre’s wildly popular headphones brand). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Fender guitars. Up Next: [EDIT] Whoops, not Medicine. Next is Mercury Rev's Boces, which I remember as also being very good.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 13:22:12 GMT -5
Mercury Rev - Boces (1993, Columbia) [ Album cover – not embedding in case ProBoards has a problem with blow-up doll breasts] Full albumWho They Were: A six-piece formed in Buffalo, NY in the late ‘80s, although operating more as a collective surrounding their mentor, composer Tony Conrad, than as a band. Prior to recording their debut, two members would contribute to fellow listees The Flaming Lips’ fourth album In a Priest Driven Ambulance: Jonathan Donahue as guitarist and Dave Fridmann as producer. In 1991, the band released their first album, Yerself Is Steam, on the Rough Trade label’s American imprint. According to Allmusic, the U.S. Rough Trade branch collapsed financially just after Yerself Is Steam’s release, leaving the album without promotion and distribution in America for a while. Nonetheless, the album had promotion abroad including a tour in the U.K., which went disastrously including an incident where singer David Baker attempted to gouge out guitarist/clarinetist Grasshopper’s eye with a spoon. Things were not looking up for their next album. How They Got on a Major Label: Columbia Records apparently liked Yerself so much that they signed the band and re-released the debut album, even authorizing a new single for the release (“Car Wash Hair”). In keeping with the band’s absurdly dysfunctional nature, they had to call upon Dean Wareham of Luna to help produce “Car Wash Hair” because bass player Dave Fridmann gave Columbia’s advance money to his mother to finance a trip to Bermuda. I’m a fan of Yerself Is Steam and I know I listened to this album at least once, impressed with the overall quality but not as enamored as the previous effort. 1. Meth of a Rockette’s Kick Ten minutes of swirling psychedelica with a small orchestra’s amount of horns and woodwinds, occasionally interspersed with guitar blasts and freakouts, then some barrelhouse piano and what appears to be a sample of a foreign children’s choir. A great opener. 2. Trickle Down Disjointed track where the singer, guitar, and rhythm section appear to be playing different (albeit good) songs much of the time. The Flaming Lips connection is quite explicit, though David Baker adopts a more aggressive pose than Wayne Coyne ever would. 3. Bronx Cheer Oh so early-‘90s rocker, but it does so with an adequate level of panache (and flute). Would’ve made a dent on contemporary alt-rock radio. 4. Boys Peel Out After some early promise on “Meth,” David Baker’s vocals are starting to grate. He lacks any sort of range and the lyrics often sound a bit too pleased with their own cleverness. Still, the band comes up with some neat arrangements, this time with piano, vibes, and stand-up bass. 5. Downs Are Feminine Balloons I assume the high-pitched backup vocals are Jonathan Donahue, who would employ his helium voice on later Rev albums (see “What Was Next…”). A surprisingly straightforward ballad. 6. Something for Joey Was apparently the single from the album--the video for would incite a brief controversy for featuring porn actor Ron Jeremy (ah, the pearl-clutching early ‘90s). Anyway, not a bad choice for a single with its jubilant horns and flute melody, though the guitar whining like a power sander might have confounded a few programmers even in the heyday of shoegaze. 7. Snorry Mouth Baker’s singing nearly torpedoes this 11-minute track, but, typically for this band, the instrumentalists redeem it with clever arrangements. A surprisingly swinging song where this band usually floats. 8. Hi-Speed Boats Best use of clarinet in a rock song? A superb rocker. 9. Continuous Drunks and Blunders 48 seconds of abrasive feedback. 10. Girlfren Stylized vocals and a repetitive piano figure, but the track builds into something weirdly compelling. Final Thoughts: A bit more commercial-sounding than I remembered, but, vocals aside, a terrific album without a bad track on it. According to Wikipedia, Mercury Rev almost never plays songs from this record due to memories of its chaotic creation, which is a shame. So, How “Weird” Is It?: Definitely goes down some strange paths, but if anything doomed this album’s commercial prospects, it’s David Baker’s performances. In an era of distinctive rock radio singers (Vedder’s groan, Cobain’s wail, Stipe’s keen), his flat, disinterested vocals don’t pass muster. I’m guessing the label felt the same way. Best Track: “Meth of a Rockette’s Kick” Worst Track: “Continuous Drunks and Blunders” What Was Next For This Band: David Baker left the band shortly after the release of Boces, leaving guitarist Jonathan Donahue to handle vocals. Boces would be the band’s last studio album with the majors, though the band soldiered on, releasing a critical darling with 1998’s Deserter’s Songs. Dave Fridmann would go on to become a renowned producer, recording lauded albums for The Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney, Low, MGMT, Mogwai, and Sparklehorse. Up Next: OK, this time for real: Medicine’s Shot Forth Self Living
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Aug 9, 2018 14:38:35 GMT -5
Sammy – Tales of Great Neck Glory (1996, David Geffen Company) Who They Were: A duo formed in the early 90’s, with Jesse Hartman on vocals and guitar and Luke Wood on guitar. As is quickly becoming commonplace for bands on this list, they had a connection with Sonic Youth: their debut album (literally titled Debut Album) and follow-up EP were released on drummer Steve Shelley’s Smells Like record label. The group also had a split 7” with Blonde Redhead on the short-lived Misha Records. For major-label debut Tales of Great Neck Glory, the duo fleshed out the band with guest musicians including Alexis Fleisig of Girls Against Boys. No information on who the woman is on the album cover who’s not particularly enjoying the embrace. As a big fan of Pavement (yeah, yeah, to each their own) and someone who was really into GVSB at one point in the '90s I'm giving this a listen now... and I don't hate it. The singer is definitely a shittier Malkmus but I'm a sucker for this kind of buzzy lo-fi sound and if I'd heard this at the time they probably would have been one of those underdog bands I'd champion to anyone who'd listen to me. And yeah, I also spent an insane amount of time listening to alt rock radio, watching alt rock videos on Much Music, reading alt rock magazines and going to alt rock shows in 1996 and I don't recall ever hearing of this band before today
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 15:26:12 GMT -5
As a big fan of Pavement (yeah, yeah, to each their own) and someone who was really into GVSB at one point in the '90s I'm giving this a listen now... and I don't hate it. The singer is definitely a shittier Malkmus but I'm a sucker for this kind of buzzy lo-fi sound and if I'd heard this at the time they probably would have been one of those underdog bands I'd champion to anyone who'd listen to me. And yeah, I also spent an insane amount of time listening to alt rock radio, watching alt rock videos on Much Music, reading alt rock magazines and going to alt rock shows in 1996 and I don't recall ever hearing of this band before today I probably allowed some objectivity to fly out the window in my review of (part of) this album out of distaste for the apparent corporate nepotism leading to Geffen giving a record contract to someone high up in their organization. When that happens, I always assume some struggling artist was cut from a label's roster to free up studio time and marketing money. Though, with neither of us recognizing anything about this band and that they broke up right after, I do wonder whether this was a condescending pat on the head on the part of Geffen for one of their employees and they never intended to push the album that hard. Anyway, thanks for following along with the feature and glad I could provide you some '90s lo-fi nostalgia.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2018 11:05:58 GMT -5
Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living (1992, Def American) SpotifyAmazon PrimeWho They Were: An L.A. band founded in 1991 by Brad Laner, a prolific multi-instrumentalist (credited with playing on over 300 records) who was at the time most famous for drumming in cult band Savage Republic. After multiple lineup changes, the group would record their debut, Shot Forth Self Living, releasing it in Europe on Creation Records. How They Got on a Major Label: The album caught the ear of famed producer Rick Rubin, who signed the band to his label, Def American (a subset of Universal Music Group now known as American Recordings), and began distributing Shot Forth Self Living in the U.S. several months after its original release in Europe. A good one, recommended for those seeking the noisiest end of early ‘90s shoegaze. Let’s look at it from the perspective of 1992’s alt-rock market.
Of note: Def American/American Recordings is described in the Spin feature from which this list derives as “the boldest major-label property in the game.” The label was infamous for signing uncommercial groups including many inclusions in this list as well as acts like Skinny Puppy, Mouse on Mars, Wesley Willis, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. As a result, according to a Rolling Stone article on Jim Shepard (whose project V-3 will be covered next in this feature), the label was known for being constantly in the red. 1. One More Some power electronics feedback kicks us off (expect a lot of that). Eventually, the guitar morphs into some more recognizable shoegaze squall, along with your typical ‘gazer soft chant-singing from Laner. I can picture the scores of people who never got past this track, as it doesn’t really rock, it bludgeons. 2. Aruca Not that, outside of some industrial rap like Death Grips, the sort of noise that opens has ever found any purchase in the mainstream market, but this must have sounded very alien to any 1992 rock fans who weren’t also collectors of underground tapes. Then, with the dueling drum machine and live percussion groove, the song is very reminiscent of MBV’s “Soon.” 3. Defective Relentless, piercing guitars that are far and away harsher than what contemporaries like Lush and Slowdive were doing… 4. A Short Happy Life …yet, when the guitar tracks are relatively subdued, like on this song, there’s not a whole lot to hang your hat on. Vocalist Beth Thompson and the rhythm section are consistently solid but they’re also not the focus—it’s all about the guitars. 5. 5ive Closest this album comes to a radio single if only for the Southern rock-like harmonics of the solos. 6. Sweet Explosion Burbling bass and lively drumming give this point in the album a needed shot in the arm. 7. Queen of Tension One of those shoegazer ballads that explored the, well, tension between squalling sonics and lilting vocals. Then, a left turn into pounding percussion and cricket noises, keeping the listener on their toes. 8. Miss Drugstore A solid noise-pop grinder, even if it never quite achieves liftoff. 9. Christmas Song Simple yet effective closer, with a deep bed of fuzz and soaring guitar solos, plus a cool suite of feedback effects on the outro. Final Thoughts: I was never one who claimed, like some, that this album is better than Loveless or even Isn’t Anything. It lacks a dynamic rhythm section, particularly compared with My Bloody Valentine’s manic drumming, and the singing sounds a bit pedestrian when compared with the best dream pop of its era. But, with its floods of distortion and willingness to explore power noise, it remains a top-tier record of the brief shoegaze movement and one of the best American examples of the form. So, How “Weird” Is It?: Outside of the Smashing Pumpkins “100-guitar track” songs, this sort of maximalism never made a commercial dent in the U.S. Plus, despite being a rock-solid effort, no song jumps out as a catchy single to those not already predisposed to the aesthetic. No, this one was never going to be a smash for the label. Best Track: “Queen of Tension” Worst Track: “Miss Drugstore” What Was Next For This Band: Medicine would release two more albums on American Recordings before taking an eight-year hiatus. The band was resurrected briefly in 2003, though featuring only Laner and Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon, releasing a record that showcased a more electronic sound (one of two connections the band had with Bruce Lee after a cameo appearance in the movie The Crow, starring Lee’s son Brandon). Then, in 2013, the band’s core ‘90s lineup reformed and has completed two albums since. Up Next: Time to get lo-fi with V-3’s Photograph Burns
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2018 9:35:52 GMT -5
V-3 – Photograph Burns (1996, American Recordings) [ Album cover – not embedded due to nudity] Full albumWho They Were: Columbus, OH’s Jim Shepard self-released the first album of his Vertical Slit rock project in 1977. A prolific home-taper, he self-distributed his recordings as cassettes and micro-pressed records throughout the late ‘70s and ‘80s, developing a cult following in the process. In 1991, Shepard formed V-3 as his full-time band, with him on guitar and vocals and, according to a blog about the Columbus music scene, “Nudge Squidfish” on bass and “Rudy” on drums. The project would release four albums, including one on Thrill Jockey, before signing with American Recordings in 1995. How They Got on a Major Label: Unknown but possibly due to the fashionableness of “lo-fi” rock in the ‘90s. Also, maybe a promise of low overhead cost (see entry for “Bristol Girl”)? Possibly the most obscure album on this list. V-3/Jim Shepard doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry that I could find—much of the above information was taken from a Rolling Stone obituary for Shepard (more on that later). The Allmusic page for V-3 describes this act as being similar to four artists: Beck, Beat Happening/Calvin Johnson, Kim Fowley, and previous listee Medicine…an interesting combination to be sure.
1. American Face Derivative but well-played indie-rock churn, with some effective double-tracked vocals. I’m picturing a sticker with the text “Featuring the hit single ‘American Face’” placed over the cover model’s body in 1996’s more conservative CD stores. 2. Bristol Girl I read that Shepard called upon his expertise as a home-recorder in order to turn in this album at a cost of only $500. I was fearing the worst with some Jandek-level production, but the music, while certainly raw, turns its immediacy into a strength. Here we have a shimmering track that’s quite reminiscent of a Magnetic Fields ballad. 3. Harry “Harry’s got a razor, he’s staring at his face.” Was the podcast-staple razor company named after this? Anyway, a Neil Young & Crazy Horse-esque, meat-and-potatoes rocker that I’m sure is akin to comfort food for those who dig this sort of thing. 4. Horse Kick Bleak even for an album full of pissed-off, world-weary lyrics, over some of the most ’90s indie-rock chiming ever made. 5. Photograph Burns The band goes into sloppy, lower-than-lo-fi punk mode. It must rank as among the most ramshackle music ever released by a major label, though somewhat endearingly so in the wake of the explosion of shiny pop-punk like Green Day. 6. Caucasian White Suggests a version of a political post-punk band (like The Pop Group or This Heat) with a penchant for folky jangle-pop. 7. Adam Twelve Another punk number, better played but, paradoxically, not as compelling as the title track. 8. Torch “And it seems you’ve got me in a holding pattern; don’t let it worry you ‘cause it really doesn’t matter.” As a lyrics writer, Shepard seemed to often hide behind a cloud of abstraction (when the production allows comprehension at all) but here is a song full of clear singing and upfront, emotionally direct lyrics. 9. End of the Bar The Sebadoh similarities hinted at throughout rear their head here. Still, as with the last track and many other songs, it’s an engaging (and poignant) look at post-industrial town malaise. 10. Star Artist A throwaway track in every sense, with Shepard losing some good will he’d built up on keenly observational songs in favor of glib sarcasm. 11. Split Dog Chintzy keyboard effects over a forgettable, mostly instrumental power-chord workout. 12. Hating Me, Hating You Sounds like if Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself” had been made with a budget of £10 and an apathy-inducing case of laryngitis. Or perhaps like early Ween minus the hooks, guitar skills, and deconstructive glee. 13. Superhuman Unfortunately, this album fumbles catastrophically in the last four tracks. This one is as much racket as Shepard’s recording setup can manage without doing anything interesting. The vocals and lyrics that send off the last two minutes of the album are, as with “Star Artist,” disappointingly facile for a songwriter who proved to be a skilled gutter-poet earlier on the record. Final Thoughts: Ultimately, the music is highly derivative and therefore it’s not something I’ll likely ever return to, but I didn’t dislike this album and admired some of its unflinching dourness. This sort of indie rock always makes me experience the same feelings as the solid if unremarkable slice-of-life dramas that make up 80% of the programming at a film festival. The last third of the album falters unquestionably, though. So, How “Weird” Is It?: By 1996, the major labels were freaking out over the waning sales of alternative rock, due in part to oversaturation, and the labels were already looking for their next big push. In that environment, I can’t see this album really standing out at all except possibly “American Face” with its catchy melody and mildly confrontational lyrics, yet by this time radio/MTV were moving on from homespun guitar rock. Best Track: “Bristol Girl” Worst Track: “Star Artist” What Was Next For This Band: Shepard parted ways with American not long after the completion of Photograph Burns. In 1996, he contributed guitar and production to the solo debut of Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard. Sadly, in 1998 after releasing what would become V-3’s final album, Shepard committed suicide at his Columbus home. Up Next: We ponder the commercial logic of a major signing a death metal act with Cancer’s Black Faith
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2018 11:25:11 GMT -5
Cancer - Black Faith (1995, East West) Full albumWho They Were: Formed as a trio in 1988 in Telford, U.K.: John Walker (vocals/guitar), Ian Buchanan (bass), and Carl Stokes (drums). The group released its debut, To the Gory End, in 1990 and toured with Obituary and Deicide that year. In 1991, two events brought the group to fame among extreme metal fans: the brief enlistment of Obituary guitarist James Murphy and the German ban on their 1991 album Death Shall Rise over its artwork. Murphy left at the end of 1991 and the core trio (along with guitarist Barry Savage) was signed to East West Records (a subsidiary of Warner Brothers). How They Got on a Major Label: Apparently, East West was gleefully discovering a huge unforeseen market for the harsher side of metal with their signing of Pantera, and the label was looking to expand its heavy music roster. Bear in mind that I’m not a metal aficionado outside of a small selection of doom/stoner/sludge, so I probably will get things wrong and mischaracterize some of the tunes.
The Wikipedia entry for the band contains this wonderful sentence: “Despite Stokes allegedly using a human thigh bone for percussion on ‘Temple Song’, the record received decidedly mixed reviews.” God, critics are so lame. 1. Ants (Nemesis Ride) This isn’t death metal or even worthwhile thrash as I understand it. Sounds more like Black Album-era Metallica (maybe that’s why they got signed?). Can’t make out all the lyrics, but some of what I can doesn’t suggest a band having a good time: “endless drudgery”; “made to conform, made to perform.” Meanwhile, this is some of the more boilerplate guitar riffing and soloing I’ve ever heard in any genre. What a lacking opener. 2. Who Do You Think You Are Thin, apathetic vocals, though I think they could have been salvaged had they been pushed higher in the mix. Weird phasing at times on the guitar that’s reminiscent of ‘80s hair metal. 3. Face to Face I think this is a case of a label forcing a recent signee to dilute its sound. This track is basically Judas Priest I would venture, but at least the guitar work manages a balance of heaviness and some personality on this one. 4. Without Cause “I live my life without a care; you have taken that from me.” They’ve taken his care? Wouldn’t a better lyric have been “cause,” given that it’s in the title and whatnot? Whatever, this track is their sludgiest so far, meaning it’s more engaging. I’d legitimately enjoy the Sabbath riffs of this played live at pulverizing volume. 5. White Desire I’ll have to look up who the producer is on this record after listening, because he’s not doing anyone in this band any favors. X’s “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene,” which this song bears some similarity, is heavier both sonically and lyrically. 6. Kill Date Finally, a thrash song with interesting dynamics, including musical hairpin turns and passion behind the playing. Slashing guitars and (for once, well-played) double kick-drums that get my blood pumping—best track so far by a mile. 7. Temple Song Embarrassingly simplistic, unearned breather instrumental—the repeated seven-note figure is punishing. 8. Black Faith More ‘90s Metallica. At least there are some backup vocals adding color to the guy’s constipated groan. An odd choice for title track as the song doesn’t climax, or even end, so much as fizzle out. 9. Highest Orders Competently performed rager that, on this album, sadly counts as a highlight. At least they’re making use of the major label budget with the string section. 10. Space Truckin Deep Purple cover. I’ll bet this was intended as the single and even forced as a song selection on the band by the label. Which is indicative of ‘90s major labels’ cluelessness, because people who were fans of the original probably hated it and kids who didn’t know the original presumably found it a stupid theme for an extreme metal band to be singing (then again, Rob Zombie sold millions of albums with the campy automobile song “Dragula,” so what do I know?) 11. Sunburnt Not as inconsequential as “Temple Song” because it has a melody, but, in this era, two instrumentals under three minutes on a 12-song album doesn’t highlight a band bursting with ideas. 12. I Save Me From Myself The production throughout has been embarrassingly toothless and this is no exception. All the elements are here for a solid metal workout but nothing has enough potency behind it to linger in the memory. Final Thoughts: Reading reviews of this album after listening (I try never to beforehand) confirms what I was thinking: this is a watered-down version of the death metal chaos that the band made its name with. Looking at producer Simon Efemey’s previous credits, including Diamond Head’s Death and Progress and Shades of God/ Icon by Paradise Lost, it appears he had a reputation at the time for smoothing out and cleaning up the sound of metal acts. Regardless of that, I can find very little to like about this record. While I’ve never been known to rock out to most metal, I struggled to detect even the basic pleasures of heavy music here, be it rock ‘n’ roll craftsmanship, needle-in-the-red madness, or personality at all, really. So, How “Weird” Is It?: Not melodic or dynamic enough for hard rock fans, certainly not severe enough for extreme metalheads—it appears to be an album for nobody. Best Track: “Kill Date” Worst Track: “Temple Song” What Was Next For This Band: Cancer broke up the year following Black Faith’s release, citing “lack of faith from certain key individuals in the industry.” In 2013, the band reunited to promote reissues of their first three albums and play some festival shows, though the band explicitly stated they would not be performing material from Black Faith. Last month, the group announced a new album to be released in late 2018. Up Next: The next list entry, Trenchmouth’s Vs. The Light of the Sun, isn’t on any online streaming service that I can find. Depending on how long ordering a used copy takes, I may skip forward to another metal record with Napalm Death’s Fear, Emptiness, Despair.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2018 23:42:54 GMT -5
Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994, Columbia) Full albumWho They Were: A band with a famously unstable membership, the Napalm Death of 1994 featured no founding members from 1981, when the group was formed in Meriden, U.K. Beginning with 1987’s debut Scum, the group is credited with combining hardcore punk and death metal to create the subgenre grindcore. The group would release three more albums prior to Fear, Emptiness, Despair; by the time of recording that album, the group’s five-piece lineup included guitarist Jesse Pintado, formerly of Terrorizer. How They Got on a Major Label: The band’s longtime label, Earache, entered into a distribution deal with Columbia in the early 1990s. Additionally, the label may have been looking for the next Helmet, whose debut Strap It On was cited as a major influence for Fear, Emptiness, Despair. This album was cited by bassist Shane Embury as his least favorite of Napalm Death’s discography in a 2017 special feature in Decibel magazine, though it seems that that is largely due to painful memories of singer Mark Greenway’s estrangement from the rest of the band and corporate meddling in the recording. I have a sense that major-label oversight is what muddled the last entry, Cancer’s Black Faith , so badly, so it will be interesting to hear how it affected these extreme metallers’ process. 1. Twist the Knife (Slowly) Definitely making use of that major label budget—you can hear every instrument distinctively (it’s not the blur of sound that I usually associate with grindcore) and there’s reverb at times on the growled vocals. Too cartoony for my tastes (the track was on the soundtrack to the movie adaptation of the Mortal Kombat video game), but not terrible. 2. Hung The producer on this album, Pete Coleman, had an interesting and wildly diverse resume prior to this record, probably most famous at the time for engineering Blondie’s Parallel Lines as well as recording Suzi Quatro, Pat Benatar, and The Knack. These days, he seems to specialize in producing country artists. Anyway, the best showcase of the band’s formidable rhythm section on this album, with a cool fuzzy bass tone and the drummer employing an impressive variety of fills and other rhythmic tricks. 3. Remain Nameless The twin guitar attack pays dividends here—they lend a fullness to the music and needed texture. The music is surprising me in its diversity and suggests a grindcore act actually wanting to explore other styles rather than a label enforcing a commercially pandering sound. 4. Plague Rages I’m appreciating the relative restraint of the drumming on the previous track and this one, with toms and fills employed to add color to the music rather than pulverize the listeners with sound. It shows a band confident enough in its technical skills to let the songs breathe a bit. 5. More Than Meets The Eye More terrific drumwork propelling an enjoyable, if slightly generic, riff-rager. The repeated track title is the first lyrics I can make out here. These barked vocals don’t do anything for me, though I suppose they are admirable in their consistency. 6. Primed Time 7. State of Mind Two nicely dynamic tracks with the guitars swelling and dissipating in interesting ways instead of a shrill grind. 8. Armageddon X The most overtly industrial-metal sounding tune so far. I understand Justin Broadrick (Godflesh) was a member of Napalm Death for a while in the ‘80s, so perhaps it’s his influence that led the group to go down this path, at least for this track. An interesting switch into more mechanical playing and sounds. 9. Retching on the Dirt Really fun groove that propels this track from the first second. Even the vocalist seems to be rocking out and enjoying himself for once. This song played live would drive an audience into frenzied madness and I’d be there with them. 10. Fasting on Deception What could that title mean? Another limber drum workout redeems this song and navigates the band through tricky musical turns. 11. Throwaway This seems to be a bit of a pointless grinder, more leaden and less twisty than this album’s best moments. The guitar soloing is generic, which is surprising since the music was written by guitarist Pintado. 12. Truth Drug The first of two bonus tracks on the album’s Digipak release (remember those?). No-frills but intelligently played. 13. Living in Denial Not as engaging, with standard-issue guitar tones and a tired-sounding singer. Nonetheless, an acceptable track (and better song than “Throwaway”) to send off the album. Final Thoughts: Despite Shane Embury's retroactive concerns reported above, this is a case of a commercially minded label doing right by an uncompromising metal outfit looking to diversify its sound. Many of these tracks impressively balance heaviness with serpentine musicality and it doesn’t hurt that the label set them up with a producer who brought his A-game while otherwise getting out of the way. If Embury has a legitimate point, it’s that vocalist Greenway doesn’t match his bandmates’ dexterity and occasionally drags down the compositions with his same-y hollering. But that’s a minor concern on an album that impressed me with its instrumental cleverness. So, How “Weird” Is It?: No real crossover moments on this one; while not exactly crying “sellout,” the more orthodox metalheads were likely alienated by the instrumental adventurousness while the music remained too harsh to appeal to alt-rockers. Best Track: “Hung” Worst Track: “Throwaway” What Was Next For This Band: Band membership continued to rotate, with Mark Greenway departing in 1996 and then returning a year later and Jesse Pintado leaving the band in 2004. After Pintado’s departure, the band remained a four-piece and continues to record for another Sony Music Group affiliate, Century Media. Up Next: Steel Pole Bath Tub with Scars from Falling Down
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 19, 2018 17:37:33 GMT -5
pantsgoblin, excellent and thorough review of a Napalm Death album. You know some studio stuff and have an informed opinion about it. I have a sincere appreciation for that. I never bought this entire album. I did buy the "Hung" EP in summer 1995 because I had money. I really liked your assessment of Greenway. It could be my bitterness coming through, but I never liked his vocals. I have Harmony Corruption, as something I bought almost 20 years ago. I really got "into" Napalm Death in my mid-thirties and only listen to From Enslavement... as my premium blend choice for that band's work.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2018 10:46:43 GMT -5
Steel Pole Bath Tub - Scars from Falling Down (1995, Slash Records) Full albumWho They Were: Formed in 1986 in Bozeman, MT by Mike Morasky (guitar/vocals) and Dale Flattum (bass/vocals) and later fleshing out as a four-piece after moving to San Francisco. The group released six albums on Berkeley’s Boner imprint (also the home of fellow listee Melvins prior to jumping to a major label) before signing with Slash Records, which maintained a distribution deal in North America with majors Warner Brothers and Reprise. The band also released a self-titled album as Tumor Circus with Jello Biafra on vocals. How They Got on a Major Label: No information available. The jump to a major label for Scars from Falling Down reportedly meant a downplaying of a large component of the Steel Pole sound: the samples of dialogue from B-movies and TV shows, as forbidden by the label’s legal weasels. Too bad, as that sounded like an interesting sonic wrinkle in this journey of ‘90s alt-rock weirdness. I’ll have to focus on the reputedly uncompromising instrumental sounds of this band instead. 1. The 500 Club Fairly conventional alt-rock track (except for the guitar squiggles) with its mid-90s-type riff-ravaging, sneered vocals, and behind the beat drumming. 2. Population 2 Here’s those bent guitars the band was reputed for, with the lead hitting the whammy bar hard. An off-kilter song with a weird chorus, but overall a pretty cool suite of guitar abuse. 3. Home is a Rope This guy’s vocals are highly reminiscent of the snotty Britpop bands of the time. Though it’s a somewhat generic guitar riff on the verses, the track is saved by some guitar squall and a silly, unexpectedly astral instrumental breakdown. 4. The Conversation After some pounding fuzz-bass for 45 seconds, the song turns into an exact approximation of a Sonic Youth song where the band was smashed on diazepam. 5. Twist Though self-produced, the album was engineered by Eric Holland of band side project Milk Cult. Holland would go on produce for fellow listee Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle). Catchy vocals and riffs make this one the top contender for the radio single. 6. Every Thing There’s interesting restraint in this drummer’s style—he’s so behind the beat that he could be playing in a blues band. Good use of dynamics in this song, a sort of Pixies soft-loud-soft track but with more guitar fandangle. 7. 3 of Cups So many badly tuned guitars, plus off-key vocals (both lead and backup for once). Still manages an anthemic quality toward the end. 8. Four Barrels The band finally indulges the formless cacophony it’d been yearning for, over some sort of automobile noises. 9. Decline Some bluesy punk that actually achieves a sort of groove. Docked a couple notches for annoyingly amelodic and unnecessary piano. 10. Kansas City The band’s typical churn ‘n’ squall, with more Britpop-esque vocals. 11. Friday Church organ underpinning just vocals and the rhythm section during the verses. The guitars explode during the chorus and the players achieve neat tones on this one. Final Thoughts: Color me surprised: I was not expecting to like this one based on what I’d read of the group and the first track, but it’s a highly solid album without, depending on your tolerance for discordant noise, a bad song on it. I do wonder what the dialogue samples that the label forbid would’ve added to the mix and it’s unfortunate that this would be the band’s last album (see “What Was Next”) because they could have grown musically into something quite memorable. Regardless, recommended for those looking for a 40-minute slab of angst-free noise-rock. So, How “Weird” Is It?: As noted above, “Twist” could have made an impression on more adventurous alt-rock radio listeners (while sending others scrambling for the dial with its psychotic guitar solo). Otherwise, this one’s strictly for the cult of noise-loving rock hounds. Best Track: “Twist” Worst Track: “Kansas City” What Was Next For This Band: Amusingly, the group attempted to make their second album for Slash a song-for-song remake of The Cars’ debut, but the idea was nixed by the label. The band then went dormant until 2002, when the rights to Scars from Falling Down reverted to them, at which time they rereleased the record under the title Unlistenable. Since then, the band has been inactive other than a 2008 reunion show. Founding member Mike Morasky relocated to New Zealand in the late ‘90s to join WETA, director Peter Jackson’s special effects company, to work on the visuals for the Lord of the Rings movies. Up Next: Yank Crime from Drive Like Jehu, credited with catalyzing emo (so, good for them)
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Aug 23, 2018 12:36:50 GMT -5
I had a handful of Steel Pole Bathtub songs on various mixtapes back in the 90s but for whatever reason never really followed up on them. Listening to this now I'm kind of wishing I had because I really would have dug this album when I was at the height of my Melvins worship.
For an example of the earlier stuff with samples, there's this one which I always really liked and which I shockingly heard about 10 years ago in a commercial for a video game:
Edited to add: I also meant to mention that the snotty vocals reminded me more of sleaze-punk god Rick Sims of Didjits/Gaza Strippers fame (but I also can't really argue with comparing it to the Brit pop of the day)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2018 13:21:26 GMT -5
I had a handful of Steel Pole Bathtub songs on various mixtapes back in the 90s but for whatever reason never really followed up on them. Listening to this now I'm kind of wishing I had because I really would have dug this album when I was at the height of my Melvins worship. For an example of the earlier stuff with samples, there's this one which I always really liked and which I shockingly heard about 10 years ago in a commercial for a video game: Edited to add: I also meant to mention that the snotty vocals reminded me more of sleaze-punk god Rick Sims of Didjits/Gaza Strippers fame (but I also can't really argue with comparing it to the Brit pop of the day) Thanks for the video embed. This band has been a most interesting discovery for me.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2018 10:59:45 GMT -5
Drive Like Jehu – Yank Crime (1994, Interscope/Atlantic) Full albumWho They Were: A San Diego quartet formed from the 1990 disbandings of punk groups Pitchfork (John Reis – guitar & Rick Froberg – vocals/guitar) and Night Soil Man (Mike Kennedy – bass & Mark Trombino – drums). The following year, the group released its debut on local label Cargo Records and later issued a 1992 single on Merge Records. Interscope Records then pursued the act; in signing, Reis took the unusual step of issuing a “both bands or no bands” decree to Interscope for his sister group Rocket from the Crypt, to which the label agreed. How They Got on a Major Label: Another victor of the 1994 major-label punk explosion. I don’t pretend to be the gatekeeper of hardcore punk (I hardly ever touch the stuff) but I do question whether a hardcore record should run over 50 minutes. Looking at the tracklist, these songs are long…wish me luck.
1. Here Come the Rome Plows An effective punk scorcher played with impressive dexterity by the four-piece. Occasionally too repetitive in its guitar figures but at least there’s always a new one in a few bars. The drummer doesn’t employ many fills on this record but really makes them count when he does. 2. Do You Compute As the top comment on the Youtube video snidely puts it, “my favorite At the Drive-In album.” Definitely a heavy influence there. And like Omar & Cedric’s bands, this stuff just isn’t musically interesting enough to justify the bloated song lengths for me. Too often it sounds like the band just keeping time without a reason to do so, as the shrill, punk-inspired guitar bending doesn’t really add significant atmospherics. The track begins promisingly with interesting guitar interplay but then the song meanders painfully while the singer just yells the same couplet over and over. 3. Golden Brown A much needed barn-burner after the last track. Generally not loving the vocals but this song deploys the guy’s screamo voice reasonably well. 4. Luau Oh god, this is punishingly repetitive and over nine minutes long. An unwelcome showcase of the singer’s juvenile, adenoidal voice (and apparently Pinback’s Rob Crow singing backup). The vocalist’s tone is one of the most unpleasant I’ve ever heard—this must be what it’s like for people who hate Geddy Lee. 5. Super Unison Opens with some of the more grating feedback you’ll ever hear, lasting for a sadistic 30 seconds. Then, we have seven more minutes of shifting yet, to my ears, monotonous punk “suites.” I know this is supposed to be “post-hardcore”; had people really fallen in love with basic punk riff patterns so much that they would construct prog-like suites out of them? “It was the ‘90s, man.” 6. New Intro A pointless instrumental: slow-paced, repetitive, not particularly interesting musically. The drums are pushed too high in a misguided attempt to lend some energy. The title makes it seem like it’s the intro for the following track but I can’t tell any similarities between them. 7. New Math I should love the detuned guitar sound and the fact that it rocks hard after what came before it, but I don’t. It’s punk that thinks too hard about itself and seems like it should be an anthem as such for people who do the same. 8. Human Interest This song plays out with more purpose to these ears. My favorite on this record outside of the kickoff track. 9. Sinews Hence the name, a collection of noodly riffs that the band created while on tour, slightly held together with a pretty basic vocal/guitar part. Another pretentiously long yet not terribly interesting prog-punk number. Final Thoughts: Though I don’t know much about this record’s rediscovery by the emosketeers, I understand that it’s a vaunted album among a certain section of late ‘90s/early 2000s rock. Which makes it yet another case of hardcore of which I can’t comprehend the appeal. While a case can be made for some of the shorter and simpler tracks, the meandering suites that comprise so much of this record’s runtime are truly baffling to me. So, How “Weird” Is It?: One, perhaps backhanded, compliment I can give this band is that they were uncompromising in their vision. So then, in the year of glossy pop-punk (Green Day, The Offspring), I can only imagine that Drive Like Jehu was far too intense in its shrieking and song lengths for all but a select few in the underground. Best Track: “Here Come the Rome Plows” Worst Track: “Luau” What Was Next For This Band: The band went dormant in 1995, partly to allow John Reis to focus on Rocket from the Crypt. Mark Trombino would go on to become an in-demand producer and engineer, working with groups including Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, and Rilo Kiley. Meanwhile, Reis and Froberg would reunite in 1999 as Hot Snakes. Drive Like Jehu reunited to play shows from 2014 to 2016. Up Next: The Flaming Lips’ major-label debut Hit To Death in The Future Head
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