Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper

Nina Nastasia - Dogs (2000)

2007-08-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

Nina Nastasia - Dogs (2000)

Nina Nastasia's first outing is a captivating, melancholic affair of precision and emotional clamor and stands as a fantastic sibling to her essential sophomore album, The Blackened Air. Dogs has a calming atmosphere, occasionally flirting with dissonance, and stands as a remarkable work of minimal building by repetition to support Nastasia's pitch-perfect voice. It is a rare group who can pull off such a fluid shift from composed sophistication to raw, dangerous, and sinister energy and not only continue to be engaging, but make ascending demands so confidently as to require full attention for the span of 40 minutes without interruption. Hypnotic, luscious, and timeless, Dogs is an album whose freshness and immediacy will never falter. ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide

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Big Dipper - Heavens / Boo Boo (1987)

2007-08-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

Big Dipper - Heavens / Boo Boo (1987)

With the legendary Sean Slade/Paul Kolderie team doing the producing honors at Fort Apache studios, Big Dipper built upon the strengths of Boo-Boo (included with the CD version of Heavens) quite successfully. As with their earlier release, the music sparks with post-punk/power pop fire, but often eschews romantic angst dark or light for less expected lyrical realms. "Easter Eve" captures the slightly off spirit of Big Dipper well -- besides being an unheard-of holiday, the strong riffs always end quickly, holding back a touch, chopping along with a strange intensity. "Younger Bums" has a great, strong central riff, even while Goffrier and company dismiss the title characters and their frustrating ways. Though the variety of the record isn't high, at points the four members nicely reach to new heights, assisted by the sharp, but never overly polished, work of Slade and Kolderie. "Lunar Module" has an especially fine, trancy ending, the band chanting "That's what it seems" slowly over a leisurely fading groove. "Man O' War" features a guest mandolin player; its rushed pace and ruminative lyrics, not to mention Goffrier's delivery, sounds like a hyperactive American cousin of the Go-Betweens. It's a feeling that crops up more than once throughout the record, Goffrier's slightly tremulous passion (no matter what the subject) lending the music an extra punch. The album ends on a fine note with "Guitar Named Desire," a slightly surfy, mostly instrumental track that kicks up its heels nicely. Charming and forceful all at once, Heavens boded well for Big Dipper as the full start of its recording career. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

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Palace Music - Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)

2007-08-27T22:18:00.000-05:00

Palace Music - Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)

Despite the overall excellence of albums like There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You and Viva Last Blues, Will Oldham tended to save his best Palace offerings for the group's singles; Lost Blues & Other Songs is a career-capping collection of those 7" releases which serves as a superb overview of the Palace project's mercurial history. Although a few stray tracks (like the German-only "Gezundheit," a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Every Mother's Son," and the live Lounge Ax single) are MIA, the set includes all of the truly crucial Palace singles from the first (1993's "Ohio River Boat Song") to the last (1997's "Little Blue Eyes"), along with unreleased material like "Valentine's Day," "Lost Blues," and a more ragged rendition of the debut album's classic, "Riding." The highlights are many, but the true standouts are the anthemic cover of the Mekons' "Horses" and both sides of the "West Palm Beach"/"Gulf Shores" single, a luminously pastoral effort reminiscent of Red House Painters. A stunning recapitulation of a truly unique musical vision, Lost Blues & Other Songs is an essential record from an essential band. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 - Strangers From The Universe (1994)

2007-07-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 - Strangers From The Universe (1994)

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Medicine - Her Highness (1995)

2007-07-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Medicine - Her Highness (1995)

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J. Mascis & The Fog - More Light (2000)

2007-07-21T23:20:00.001-05:00

J. Mascis & The Fog - More Light (2000)

Most of J. Mascis' '90s output was humdrum and samey, all whiney lyrics and metalhead guitar solos slopped over washed-out grunge riffs. By the time he dropped the Dinosaur Jr. moniker and released Martin + Me, it wasn't just because he sang with the same hound dog warble that people compared him to Neil Young; it was also because he seemed to have succumbed to half-assedness. That considered, More Light sounds pretty damned vital. The sameyness is still there, granted, but like Young, his spiritual godfather, Mascis has a way of making his ramshackle melodies downright endearing, and if you're a kindhearted soul, that'll allow you to forgive the half-assed stuff. The best tracks find Mascis sticking his head up out of the murk of guitar noise and lazy melody to deliver slices of snappy grunge pop: "Sameday" bounces between minor-key whine and major-key stomp as Mascis croaks his way through a stoner's lament, while the bouncy "Can't I Take This On" shows that there's a lighter side to the dude's brooding mewl. Even with production help from Kevin Shields, his guitar skronk is only ever-present background buzz, but noise is only half the point: too lazy to find a new bag of tricks, Mascis is squeezing every drop of dingy melody and begrudging sincerity out of growing old and just coasting along. If that's the best he can do, so be it. ~ Christian Hoard, All Music Guide

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Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)

2007-07-21T19:26:00.001-05:00

Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)

At once drowsy, psychedelic, entrancing, and possessed of a sinuous spark, Happy Nightmare Baby may have been Opal's only album but deserves more attention than merely being a blueprint for Roback's later work in Mazzy Star. For one thing, Opal was very much its own band, with Kendra Smith's particular lyrical visions of mystic power and universe-scaling dreams and nightmares its own entity. As is her singing, though she's got less of Hope Sandoval's wistful drift and more focused control -- check out the brief "A Falling Star," where the comparatively stripped-down arrangement places her singing in the foreground, notably without much in the way of echo. Roback's playing certainly won't surprise anyone per se who backtracks to this group from albums like She Hangs Brightly, and the atmosphere of textured, moody power is evident right from the start with the wonderful early T. Rex tribute, "Rocket Machine." The compressed string swirl and steady stomp is pure Marc Bolan-via-Tony Visconti, though Smith avoids Bolan's style of warble for her own cool, something also quite evident on the slow-groove stomp of the great "She's a Diamond" and the concluding "Soul Giver." Meanwhile, other familiar elements Roback would later use are present aplenty -- very Ray Manzarek-like organ lines on the mantra-chugs of "Magick Power" and "Siamese Trap," compressed acid rock solos and lots of reverb. The title track itself stands out a bit as being a bit more of a '60s Europop confection in a stripped-down 1968 setting -- Roback's electric guitar adds some fire, but it's the slightly jazz-tinged rhythm and easy delivery from Smith that helps establish its own character. It's a release that stood out both in time and place (a 1987 release on SST Records, of all places!), but it stands up to future years and listens darn well. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

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Three 4 Tens - Down The Way (2007)

2007-07-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

Three 4 Tens - Down The Way (2007)

Fuzzy neo-psych rock with strong power pop tendencies, energetic and just rough enough around the edges to catch some sparks. If you tire of your Nuggets or Pebbles box sets, try this one for size. The Three 4 Tens must have gotten trapped in a time warp, because they play '60s psychedelic garage rock like it's, well, the '60s. The opening track sounds like a cross between Good Earth-era Feelies and R.E.M. on peyote buttons. The second track resembles the Happy Mondays meets the Doors and Echo and the Bunnymen, while the third track is a 21st century blast of Who-esque rock. The rest of the album follows suit. ~ Notlame.com

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Fingerprintz - Distinguishing Marks (1980)

2007-07-21T17:47:00.000-05:00

Fingerprintz - Distinguishing Marks (1980)

With producer Nick Garvey (ex-Ducks Deluxe and Motors) leading the way, Distinguishing Marks has all the rough edges smoothed away, but not so much as to have a negative impact on the music. O'Neill's songs are still loaded with dark emotional undercurrents and melodramatic narratives, but they aren't self-pitying, narcissistic exercises. In fact, this LP marked a maturational process that continued with their third and last record. Still, no record better sums up the excellence of Fingerprintz better than this one. ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide

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Robert Pollard - Not In My Airforce (1996)

2007-07-21T14:14:00.000-05:00

Robert Pollard - Not In My Airforce (1996)

It always seems to happen. As soon as you start seeing solo LPs, expect the band in question to split up soon. Sure enough, just as this LP and Tobin Sprout's simultaneously released Carnival Boy appeared, there came the news that Sprout was departing the ultra-prolific, Robert Pollard-led Guided by Voices to pursue his own projects. (Pollard never let him compose and sing more than a couple of pop gems per GBV album.) While this development really stinks, the good news is that Not in My Airforce (and Carnival Boy as well) suggests that the sound, style, and spirit of this uniquely talented outfit will continue unmolested. Pollard's first solo LP, which includes Kevin Fennell on drums, is the equal of the previous few GBV LPs. The tracks are as consistently enjoyable as those on Under the Bushes Under the Stars. In addition, Pollard ushers back in the little snippets that enlivened Bee Thousand, yet he keeps the LP from seeming too hodgepodge and incoherent, as was the case with the otherwise brilliant but spotty Alien Lanes. The opening "Maggie Turns to Flies" goes to the head of the class as the most exciting, killer Pollard track ever (just ahead of Alien Lanes' "My Son Cool" and Propeller's epic "Under the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox"). And so many others, such as "Girl Named Captain," "I've Owned You for Centuries," the reverse-field "King of Arthur Avenue," the spry "Get Under It," and the ringing, acoustic numbers "The Ash Gray Proclamation" and "Roofer's Union Fight Song," immediately satisfy. Pollard has clearly penned a GBV LP -- and a minor classic, at that! ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide

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Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture (1996)

2007-07-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture (1996)

On their final full-length album, Brainiac move further into the unchartered territory that they explored on Bonsai Superstar, and perhaps because of that, the album seems initially less exciting. However, while they take a somewhat smaller creative step between these two albums than between Bonsai Superstar and Smack Bunny Baby, Hissing Prigs in Static Couture nonetheless offers up a fascinating dose of space-age sound bites, falsetto vocals and chant-along choruses. The opening four tracks are astounding, especially "Pussyfootin'" and the loopy "This Little Piggy." The middle of the album drags a bit, but it comes to a blistering conclusion with "Nothing Ever Changes" (recorded by Steve Albini) and "I Am a Cracked Machine." ~ Brian Christopher Egan, All Music Guide

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Imperial Teen - Seasick (1996)

2007-07-19T17:11:00.000-05:00

Imperial Teen - Seasick (1996)

Anyone expecting Faith No More's fractured art weirdness was in the wrong place with Imperial Teen, but those with an ear for attractive, quietly wry pop/rock that didn't give a care for being alternative in the '90s' marketable sense will find Seasick an enjoyable debut. If anything, "Imperial Teen" itself sets the scene at the start with its distinctly Velvet Underground-circa-third-album chug, lyrics softly sung directly into the mic, a bit of feedback fire here and there, and bemusing lyrics discussing everything from gay identity to the band's name itself. Things aren't always so relatively polite, with more immediately aggressive songs cropping up and vocals often taking a stronger turn. However, their spirit and sass is more trashy fun rock with glam/punk roots than, say, Seattle-based fog or incipient nu-metal hash, though there is definitely a Pixies vibe on songs like "Blaming the Baby" and "Balloon," among others. Partially this is due to the constantly traded-off male/female vocals; though Bottum is doing most of the lead singing (though the credits acknowledge all four members doing just about everything), Perko is right there with him. Then there are the moments where the guitars fire up more along with some of the screaming -- one can go on, but it's refreshing to get a sense that the bandmembers learned this directly from Surfer Rosa rather than Nevermind, for instance. Bottum's eye around gender and sexuality defines the lyrics without overtly ruling them (thus a song like "Butch," with lines like "the prince wants to be a queen"). In the end, Seasick is in many ways the lost Breeders album after Last Splash -- brash, sharp-edged, taking no crap, and having good fun while doing so. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

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Bonzo Dog Band - The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse (1968)

2007-07-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

Bonzo Dog Band - The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse (1968)

Taking the "Doo Dah" out of their name for this 1968 LP, the Bonzos' second album was probably their best. Although they were hardly a rock or pop group in the traditional sense, the Bonzos couldn't help absorbing some of the vibes of British psychedelia, and the heady ambience of the era is reflected in the recklessly diverse and outrageous material. Almost all of the songs were penned by the two top dogs, Viv Stanshall and Neil Innes, who deflate British blues, psychedelia, and other pop, jazz, and music hall styles with priceless wit. Star tracks on this saxophone-heavy album include the doo wop ode to a spacegirl ("Beautiful Zelda"), "Trouser Press" (which gave the late American underground rock magazine its name), the droll series of poker-faced spoken sketches on "Rhinocratic Oaths" (certainly an influence on Monty Python), and the boozy "My Pink Half of the Drainpipe," which ranks as one of the most ridiculous and hysterical songs released by a pop group of any era. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Tripping Daisy - Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb (1998)

2007-07-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

Tripping Daisy - Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb (1998)

Tripping Daisy's first two albums were written off as average post-grunge alt-rock records, which may make the presence of Eric Drew Feldman -- a former member of Pere Ubu and a colleague of both Captain Beefheart and Frank Black -- as a producer and keyboardist a little puzzling to the group's detractors. After all, Tripping Daisy was supposed to be in it for the cash and fame, not art, but critics may have to change their tune after listening to the Daisy's third album, Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb. The band has made a big stylistic breakthrough, enhancing the psychedelic subtext that ran through their first two records, retaining their melodic sensibility and jacking up their weirdness quotient, thanks to Feldman. Although there are a few times where their ambitions outweigh their achievements, the entire result is an impressive record that balances punk-pop with art-rock. It's a smart, ambitious and successful album that may come as a surprise, not only for the doubters but for hardcore fans, since nothing they've done before suggests the power of Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb. (Also, it's nice that Tripping Daisy paid tribute to the great, underappreciated indie-rock band Brainiac and its tragically departed leader Tim Taylor by covering "Indian Poker" -- it, like the rest of the album, shows that their hearts are in the right place.) ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners (1971)

2007-07-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners (1971)

This wonderful album, recorded with help from an all-star crew including David Crosby, Neil Young, Dave Mason, and Rita Coolidge, may not be the best solo record to come out of the CSNY orbit (Neil Young has it beat), but it is the most charming and genial. Like Graham Nash's "Marakesh Express" and "Teach Your Children," it inevitably brings a smile to anyone who hears it. From the soaring "I Used to Be a King" (almost a distant, mature, altered point-of-view sequel to "King Midas in Reverse") through the gossamer "Simple Man" to the wah-wah-laden "Military Madness," the record is filled with gorgeous melodies, flawless singing, and lyrical complexities that hold up decades later. "Man in the Mirror" is almost Nash's answer to Young's "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing," even containing similar tempo changes; only "Chicago," with its belated telling of one version of the tale of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, seems dated. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

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Morrissey - Your Arsenal (1992)

2007-07-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

Morrissey - Your Arsenal (1992)

Morrissey bounced back from the lackluster Kill Uncle with the terrific Your Arsenal. A dynamic, invigorating fusion of glam rock and rockabilly, Your Arsenal rocks harder than any other record Morrissey ever made. Guitarist Alain Whyte's riffs swagger with a self-absorbed arrogance, and producer Mick Ronson gives the music a tough, stylish sheen -- it may be a break from Morrissey's jangle pop, but the music is sharper than at has been since the Smiths, and so is Morrissey's pen. Running through his trademark litany of emotional, social, and personal observations, Morrissey is viciously clever and occasionally moving. And the songs -- whether it's the rush of "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side," the menacing "We'll Let You Know," the spare rockabilly bop of "Certain People I Know," the gospel-tinged "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday," or "Tomorrow" -- are uniformly excellent, forming the core of Morrissey's finest solo record and his best work since The Queen Is Dead. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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Neu! - Neu! 75 (1975)

2007-07-17T21:19:00.000-05:00

Neu! -Neu! 75 (1975)

After a three-year break, Neu! members Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother buried their differences temporarily, and reunited for another go at the "motorik" sound they had developed with their debut in 1971. The strange tension and presentation of Neu! 2 and the emergence of their former band Kraftwerk may have precipitated the reunion, but, whatever the reason, the end result proved worth the time, effort, and bickering it took to crank this one out. One thing that is noticeably different on 75 is the presence of synthesizers and the preference of them, it seems, over Rother's guitar. "Isi," which opens the album, features Dinger's metronymic percussion holding down the 2/4 rhythm and a trademark one-note bassline provided by a piano, but the gorgeous sonic washes and flourishes normally handled by Rother's guitar-slinging hands are now painted with a synth. "Seeland" offers a return to the six strings with what would in subsequent years become Rother's ornate "singing" style of playing. Dinger's rhythmic patterns here are deceptively simple. They create a long, trudging 4/4, syncopated every other line, and punctuated by a small ride cymbal at the end of each phrase as Rother's guitar provides both cascading single string notes and a shifting, pulsing bassline. It's a beautiful wasteland, this track; sparse yet full of melodic interplay and layered guitars and keyboards. The last track on side one is "Leb Wohl," an exercise in white noise, industrial textures, and natural or, "found" sounds, a piano and gorgeous, spare and intricate guitar chords. For side two, Neu! adds Dinger's brother, Thomas, and Hans Lampe on various percussions to allow Dinger to play guitar, piano, and organ, and to add some bottom end to the band's sound. The funny thing is they come off sounding more like a melodic punk band on "Hero," with Dinger's growling vocals being reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger on steroids. His Keith Richards-style chords stand in stark contrast to Rother's more lyrical approach. Perhaps this isn't such a surprise when we consider the Damned's first album was recorded in 1975. The ten-minute "E-Musick" becomes Neu!'s signature track for this disc, however. With distorted percussion -- courtesy of a synth and sequencer, as well as a drum kit put through a phase shifter, Rother's melodic synth lines are free to roam, wide and far, carrying within them a foreshadowing of his guitar solos a few minutes later. These long screaming lines, reminiscent of Steve Hillage at his best, with Dinger's wonderful rhythm backing and treatments of the instruments, provides a definitive statement on the Neu! "motorik" sound. This is music not only for traveling, from one place to the next, but also for disappearance into the ether at a steady pace. This may have been Neu!'s final statement -- at least in the studio; Dinger issued (without Rother's permission) an inferior live '72 album -- but at least they went out on a much higher note than Neu! 2, and in a place where their innovations are still being not only recognized, but utilized. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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Bonzo Dog Band - Gorilla (1967)

2007-07-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

Bonzo Dog Band - Gorilla (1967)

Gorilla was the 1967 debut album by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, who would thereafter drop the Doo-Dah from their name and establish themselves as the greatest satirical British pop band of all time. Their first effort is far more tentative and tamer than their second and third albums, when they hit their stride by expanding their musical and topical recklessness. The Bonzos, after all, did not begin as a rock band, or even a pop band, but as a somewhat vaudevillian comedy outfit that owed a great deal to British music-hall traditions. This album may be low-key, but that's not to say it doesn't retain a good deal of charm. The humor is extremely dry, subtle, and British, leaning more toward their trad-jazz roots than the churning London pop-rock scene. It nonetheless includes a few great moments: the deadpan jazz vamp "The Intro and the Outro" (wherein a smarmy MC introduces a bevy of historical figures in a show band, including Adolf Hitler on vibes), the film-noir satire "Mickey's Son and Daughter," and their vicious send-up of "The Sound of Music." - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Volcano Suns - The Bright Orange Years (1985)

2007-07-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

Volcano Suns - The Bright Orange Years (1985)

Between Ian MacKaye and "Sherman the Tank," the thank-you list on the back of The Bright Orange Years tellingly acknowledges beer. Somewhat akin to what would follow with the remainder of the Volcano Suns' records, their 1985 debut is a messy sprawl of basement jams. Regardless of how long it took for the record to be made, the restless energy gives the feel of 12 songs written and recorded in one alcohol-soaked night. A batch of fast and furious raucous blasts form the basis of the record ("Descent Into Hell," "Promise Me," "Animals"), broken up by the occasional instrumental ("Truth Is Stranger Than Fishing") and mid-tempo breather ("Balancing Act"). The arrangements are more straight-ahead and less experimental than Peter Prescott's former band, but they're no less interesting. Structural conventions are rarely messed with. During "Cornfield," a noisy piano comes into play that sounds like Nicky Hopkins attempting to beat a wind chime at its own game, and a couple short spates of weird interplay between Prescott and new partners Jeff Weigand (bass) and Jon Williams (guitar) break the mainly hyper-folk and '60s garage band flow. Leadoff track "Jak" is the real standout, one of the Suns' most tuneful and strummy numbers. Solid and endlessly fun, it's their finest record. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

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Butterglory - Downed (1995)

2007-07-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

Butterglory - Downed: A Singles Collection (1995)

Downed, by the indie pop duo Butterglory, certainly warrants comparisons to early Pavement. Nevertheless, Butterglory were less famous contemporaries of Malkmus and Co., so the pair's charmingly skewed music doesn't so much bear the anxiety of influence (or place them in the vast leagues of Pavement followers) as display a parallel like-mindedness. And you can't fake pop sensibility like this: There are incredibly tuneful songs tucked away beneath all of the indie ephemera and crude playing. This album actually collects material from Butterglory's early 7" EPs. Despite the patchwork, the collection stands on its own as a cohesive album (though you can certainly see an evolution in the group's stripped-down and highly appealing songcraft between earlier and later material). Highlights include the chugging "Stuck" and the more laid-back "A Toast to the Queen," both of which will give rise to the inevitable Pavement comparisons. The mild-mannered duo can also get a little edgy at times, unleashing some skronk on "Alexander Bends." This is an appealing collection of slightly warped yet beguiling indie rock. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide

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Sarah Dougher - Day One (1999)

2007-07-16T18:16:00.000-05:00

Sarah Dougher - Day One (1999)

The wry, thoughtful songs on Sarah Dougher's solo debut address friends and lovers in various degrees of geographical and emotional dislocation. Her guitar- and piano-based sound and unadorned alto are reminiscent of early Liz Phair, but Dougher is a more explicitly political songwriter. So where "Moving" takes a lover to task for refusing to build a life in one place, and "40 Hours" celebrates its narrator's own pleasure in running away, "Everywhere West" debunks the romantic mythology of female pioneers in the old West. Occasionally Dougher's politics outshine her craft: "The Day Bella Abzug Died" is a rousing feminist campfire song, but seems thin and didactic compared to her subtler work. In addition to its eleven originals, Day One features a languid cover of the Eagles' "Take It to the Limit" which blends surprisingly well with Dougher's own songs. ~ Kristi Coulter, All Music Guide

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V/A - Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation Compact Disc (1996)

2007-07-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

V/A - Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation Compact Disc (1996)

The well-loved, fun Chicago club Lounge Ax ran into big legal bills fighting the city and a nasty neighbor trying -- and fortunately failing -- to close it. Thus, the club (and classy Touch & Go) put together this CD to help pay the lawyers, asking the many renowned underground touring acts that play there to contribute. Regrettably, none of the bands are recorded live at the smokin' club, but this is still a strong array of indie-minded rock. Sebadoh turns in one of the band's lesser songs, and Shellac's offering is too short. But Superchunk, Seam, and the Archers of Loaf (instrumental) come through, Guided By Voices sounds idiosyncratic and fresh on the unreleased "Beneath a Festering Moon," and newcomer June of '44 is down and dirty. Also doing their part: the Coctails, the Bad Livers, Yo La Tengo, the Mekons, Tortoise, and Rachel's. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide

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V/A - Get Ready To Fly: Pop-Psych From The Norman Petty Vaults

2007-07-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

V/A - Get Ready To Fly: Pop-Psych From The Norman Petty Vaults

Norman Petty, most famous for producing Buddy Holly (and, later, the Fireballs and Jimmy Gilmer), isn't known for garage rock or psychedelia. He did work with quite a few artists in those styles in the mid- to late '60s, however, from both the Southwest and elsewhere in North America. Enough such recordings have been found, in fact, to yield two extensive CD compilations on Big Beat, one of which (Now Hear This! Garage & Beat from the Norman Petty Vaults) focuses on the more garagey and British Invasion-minded of the sides. Get Ready to Fly: Pop-Psych from the Norman Petty Vaults has the more psychedelically-minded stuff from a slightly later era (the late '60s and very beginning of the '70s), about half of it previously unreleased. While it stands out among psychedelic obscurity compilations for the unlikely location of the source material, in most respects it's a pretty typical such anthology, if a little more varied than most. Fuzz guitar, odd sound and studio effects, penetrating organ, and trippy lyrics are all in abundance, though often in the kind of transitory, bandwagon-jumping fashion you might expect from bands named (to take a few examples from this comp) the Hooterville Trolley, the Apple-Glass Cyndrom, and the Butter Rebellion. There are also heavier traces of conscientious wistful pop/rock harmonies than there are in the most out-and-out psychedelia of the era. It kind of melts into each other a bit when played all at once, but there are some better-than-average cuts for the genre, like the 1968 "Groovy Motions" single by the Fireballs (the one well-known group here), which alternates between a fairly tough garage verse and quite creatively produced, delicately spacy bridge; and the Hooterville Trolley's "No Silver Bird," which has pretty wild eerie organ. The 1967 single "Acid," by Stu Mitchell with Wes Dakus' Rebels, is extreme even by weird psychedelic rarity standards, with hushed whispered vocals, a funereal pulse, tolling bells, and discordant scrapes and piano rumbles. The equivalent of a garage-psychedelic tour through a haunted house ("in a town called LSD" sings Mitchell, in case you don't get the point), it's the highlight, albeit a contrived one, of the entire compilation. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Don Lennon - Routine (2005)

2007-07-16T01:14:00.000-05:00

Don Lennon - Routine (2005)

Don Lennon's charming, geeky fourth album is an autobiographical concept piece about standup comics, television comedies, and minimum wage employment. Musically and vocally, Routine is a mix of Jonathan Richman and early folkie King Missile, with Lennon's voice sometimes coming across as a dead ringer for Erlend Øye or the Ocean Blue's David Schelzel. Even a casual listen of Routine suggests that the gentle-voiced indie rocker watches a huge amount of television and isn't afraid to flaunt it. Lennon name-checks Jimmy Fallon while bemoaning and praising Saturday Night Live in "What SNL Stands For," compares and contrasts John Ritter with Carrot Top and Bill Cosby in "Last Comic Standing," and seemingly goes mad about Fraiser in "The Death of My Imagination." While Lennon's quirky lyrics and subject matter are always interesting, his music is strong enough that he needn't go so far down the wacky Beat Happening path. A song like the delicate "My Resume," without the Access Hollywood revelry that peppers much of the album, is endearing and touching enough to compare favorably to Magnetic Fields or East River Pipe. But given the album's autobiographical slant, it really becomes hard to find fault. If television is so dear to Lennon, these song-stories gain some credibility as a musical slice of life. Routine is a somewhat difficult first listen, given its inherent naïvety and television geekery, but it reveals its charm quite handily with more listens. With all the soul-bearing on display, Lennon seems like a really nice, talented fellow, but his outright honesty will probably make his music a love it or hate it affair for most listeners. It's both sad and wonderful that Routine is saddled with such artistic honesty. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide

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Orange Peels - Circling the Sun (2005)

2007-07-15T23:34:00.001-05:00

Orange Peels - Circling the Sun (2005)

The Orange Peels' third album, 2005's Circling the Sun, is their best album yet, which is really saying something considering the strength of their brief discography thus far. Wonderfully sugar-coated with a melancholy heart, the record glides past on waves of gently strummed guitars, swooning Mellotron strings, and heavenly vocal harmonies. Main Peel Allen Clapp comes up with his finest batch of songs here, too. His melodies are crisp and clean, the lyrics perfectly wistful, and the arrangements never less than lovely. The record is mostly made up of midtempo ballads like the '70s AM radio-ready "So Right" and "Boy in Space," the dramatic and emotional "Long Cold Summer," and the wonderfully sweeping "How Green the Grass." The Orange Peels have really managed to get the most out of their sound, filling each nook with smooth sonic detail but never to the point of academic exercise, the emotion and depth flowing through the walls of sound at all times. Along with the songcraft and arrangements, credit has to go to Clapp's vocals, which have sometimes stood apart from the music in the past, as he doesn't have the usual breathy croon that goes with this kind of pop. Here, his voice blends perfectly with the musical backing and he sounds natural and soulful throughout. Not all of the record consists of ballads, though, as a few of tracks rock out quite credibly, including the singsongy "Circling the Sun," which sounds not a million miles from a classic Velvet Crush track, "I Don't Wanna Shine," which kicks up some country-rock dust (dig the harmonica solo and the soaring vocal harmonies), and the rollicking "What's It Like Mary Jo?" The only criticism of Circling the Sun might be that the record is too slick, but that is like saying ice cream is too cold or soda pop is too fizzy -- it sort of comes with the territory when you are talking about pop this sophisticated and adult. If you are looking for teenage kicks, you'll run screaming from Circling the Sun, but the album will definitely appeal to anyone who has been around the block a few times yet isn't ready to give up on pop's beauty and power. The Orange Peels have plenty of both, and Circling the Sun is their masterpiece. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

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Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers (1994)

2007-07-15T22:06:00.000-05:00

Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers (1994)

Kristin Hersh dug into her backlog of compositions for material of an intensely personal nature that she felt wouldn't be suitable for her band on her solo debut, Hips and Makers. In stark contrast to her work with Throwing Muses, Hips and Makers is almost entirely acoustic. Hersh embellishes her waifish voice and acoustic guitar with touches of cello and piano on this album, which offers a despairing and introspective tone that fails to submerge her considerable inner strength and fortitude. Recorded in a mere two weeks, this collection of haunting and confessional songs was produced by ex-Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye, who has also produced Suzanne Vega. Hersh's voice and lyrical tone, however, are considerably more brittle and coarser than Vega's. The opening track, "Your Ghost," features a duet with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Pooh Sticks - Million Seller (1992)

2007-07-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Pooh Sticks - Million Seller (1992)

The Pooh Sticks made many new fans with the guitar-powered pop of their Great White Wonder album, but the follow-up Million Seller is their definitive release. The title was probably meant to be ironic, but this album sold disappointingly, especially by major label standards (it was the Pooh Sticks' first album for Zoo/BMG). Too polished and produced to garner alternative credibility, yet not the kind of record destined to get any mainstream exposure, Million Seller slipped between the cracks. It's a shame, because the album's infectious melodies, wistful lyrics and scrumptious arrangements deserved a much wider audience. This album may have turned off listeners used to the rougher edges of the Pooh Sticks' previous material, but Million Seller is truly a classic pop record. ~ Robin Platts, All Music Guide

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Jale - So Wound (1996)

2007-07-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Jale - So Wound (1996)

Jale's utterly infectious So Wound is a manic pop thrill, a superb collection of sweet-and-sour songs laced with wit, intelligence and poignancy. Crisply produced by Brad Wood, the record's 14 tracks (13 listed, one bonus) are fresh and sassy, combining the sweet harmonies and gleaming songcraft of the girl-group era with post-punk attitude and edge; while each song is a gem, the chiming "All Ready," the buzzing "Ali" and the snotty "Over You" are standouts. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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Pell Mell - Interstate (1995)

2007-07-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

Pell Mell - Interstate (1995)

The idea that Pell Mell would have ended up on a company run by David Geffen must have seemed truly bizarre when the band first started, but that's what a little Nirvana can do for bands (and so it must have seemed for many an alternative outfit in the early '90s). By the time of Interstate's recording, David Spalding had been established as a new key and core member, and the resultant effort of the quartet was a striking and often emotional take on instrumental rock. Pell Mell's unsurprising ability to self-produce and engineer, helped out by the abilities of Tim O'Heir as well, resulted in a full-sounding, dramatic album that, even so, couldn't have been expected to be a commercial breakout by the label. As a mighty fine example of Pell Mell's talents, though, it couldn't be finer. The title is lived up to not only with the cover art, but with the wide-open feeling of many of the songs, suggesting a slightly dreamy America where there's little around but the weather and the land. "Anna Karina," with its slow pace and hints of steel guitar twang, and the lovely "Constellation" are two examples of many that call those images to mind. Then there's the motorik drive of such songs as "Saucer" (even at three and a half minutes, still a grand Can tribute [or Stereolab, if one prefers]) and "Blacktop," showing the band's longtime fascination with Krautrock now in sync with a new decade's zeitgeist. Steve Fisk's abilities to provide just the right amount of texture and drive throughout, whether it's the buzzing organ break on "Revival" or his Hammond work on "Vegetable Kingdom," show just how brilliant of a not-so-secret weapon he is, but to single him out does a disservice to the whole band. It's an ensemble performance at heart, and an excellent one. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

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