Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Quick Hits - The Winners List

In retrospect, I really should have posted the winners list first. Oh well.

In case you've missed all the "drama," here are the previous posts in this chain:

The Undecided List, Part 1
The Undecided List, Part 2
The Losers List


All in fun, of course! Your opinions may be different than mine -- which, I might add, you are all quick to point out. (Thanks for that.)

Without further ado:
  • Against Me! - New Wave (2007). This goes against the grain for me in several ways. First it grabbed me lyrically and not musically first, which never happens -- that's just not the way I normally process music. Secondly, these guys are from what I like to refer to as "Generation Why Me," which I generally can't stand -- songs about clipping their nails and not getting their BMW, blah blah blah. But these guys don't have that attitude at all. From the first song ("New Wave"), they clearly establish their manifesto and ambition: "I am looking for the crest of a new wave/We can be the bands we want to hear/We can define our own generation/Is there anybody on the receiving end?" Wow.
    Example 2: "Up the Cuts" challenges everyone: the a.d.d. generation, the music and video industry, the government's crackdown on digital piracy, and even "all the punks still singing the same song."
    Example 3: "Thrash Unreal" is a story about a drug user: "No mother ever dreams that her daughter's going to grow up to be a junkie/No mother ever dreams her daughter's going to sleep alone."
    Example 4: "White People for Peace" points out how impractical musicians' contributions really are to an armed conflict: "Protest songs in response to military aggression/Protest songs to stop the soldier's gun."
    Example 5: "Americans Abroad" is an honest self-reflection of potential hypocrisy: ""While I think I'm not like them, I'm not so sure/...Wherever we go, Coca Cola's already been/...I just can't help but think that there's a comparison."
    I just cited lyrics from half the songs on the album. They're plain-spoken but eloquent. They are loud, questioning, and smart. These guys are the new punks. Musically, they are not unbelievable but very solid, and overall it's a great package. I was shocked to see this was their 5th album -- time to check the back catalog.
    Verdict: Car CD Changer. Be prepared, it's loud.
  • The Automatic - Not Accepted Anywhere (2006). Another entrant from the "Why Me?"/"Whiney" generation. Better musically than Against Me!, but a little less deep on the lyrics. These guys have something going on that I can't put my finger on; but it makes me think they could create greatness. Lots of promise here, especially musically (both in arrangement and vocal tonality/harmonizing). It's nice poppy punk with odd lyrics... big song in Europe from this album was "Monster."
    Verdict: Portable CD Case. I really like this album too.
  • Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom Prison (1968, re-released in 1999). After watching Walk the Line, I remembered that I always kind of liked Johnny Cash. And that I was probably ready to give him a try once again. I can’t complain about this one – this is about as good as you’ll get from a live album. I had never heard "25 Minutes to Go," which is incredibly tense and powerful.
    Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
  • Enon - Grass Geysers...Carbon Clouds (2007). To be honest, after 2002's brilliant High Society, Enon was followed up with both an underwhelming collection of originals and an underwhelming collection of b-sides, at which point they definitely had graduated from the "must buy the next album" merch rating to "let's wait for a review, shall we?" Fortunately, this was reviewed well, and wow, it's really the proper follow-up to High Society. This group is so quirky that they are much better when they rein themselves in slightly. Plus I love their bass sound. Check out "Mr. Ratatatatat," my favorite song on the album, or "Dr. Freeze," or "Pigeneration." I think it's great.
    Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
  • Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55 (2007). This is really superior -- even with this being a little more mellow than I prefer, it still worked in the car. Charlotte Gainsbourg tells stories. They're great, they're impactful, and every note sounds like it's precisely placed. I'll compare this to Cat Power's You Are Free -- yes, it's that good. This album is for everyone.
    Verdict: Totally fantastic. Car CD Changer album that I'll put into the Portable CD Case because it's a little laid back.
  • Motörhead - Ace of Spades (1980, re-mastered version released in 2001).Yes, this is the second post to feature Motörhead. What has happened to me? Truth be told, these guys were so heavy they scared me as a kid. Now that I'm older... well, they still scare me. But you have to hand it to Lemmy and the boys -- this is a classic album. The songs? Legendary ("Ace of Spades"), down to earth ("[We Are] The Road Crew"), incomprehensible ("Love Me Like a Reptile"), creepy ("Jailbait"), and surprisingly introspective ("The Chase Is Better Than the Catch") all rolled up into one. It's all I'll ever need from these guys.
    Verdict: Hell yes recommended. Portable CD Case.

  • N.WA. - Straight Outta Compton 20th Anniversary Edition (2007; original released in 1987). I had a pithy little post about this album, but then thought it was a good idea to edit the html for formatting. Bad idea -- I managed to lose everything. So I'm giving this review over to fate. Thus: this album is good, not worth getting if you have the original.
    Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.

  • Pylon - Gyrate Plus (2007, original version released in 1980). This is a re-issue that had to happen, but much like during their actual career, it's questionable whether anyone will notice. Notoriously the victims of bad timing, they folded in 1983 after two albums (Gyrate and Chomp), right before the Athens, GA, scene that they helped create blew up into the American rock Mecca it became. Then they got back together in 1990 for the phenomenally underrated Chain, breaking up again right before Grunge/Alternative broke. When Rolling Stone named R.E.M. "America's Best Band" in 1987, R.E.M. said the award actually belonged to Pylon -- four years after their breakup! Their stuff has been out of print for years, otherwise I'd recommend the desert island must-have Hits as your first intro. But this album is very good -- they even threw in their best song, "Cool" (previously available only as a single or on Hits), which is an all-time great song. Throw in an unreleased demo and two other single-only songs and you'll see why this band was way ahead of their time. One of my all-time favorite bands; you should check this out if you like R.E.M., the B-52's, or really any non-crappy music in general.
    Verdict: Recommended. Car CD Changer.

  • Peter Searcy - Spark (2007). I know you've been waiting with bated breath since this post... and here is the exciting conclusion! Well, somewhat exciting. Since the great song "Losing Light Fast" in 2000, I've held in with Peter -- that album (Could You Please and Thank You) was okay, but you could hear that he had the potential to pull it all together into a great, confident album someday. And Spark is that album. The promise of CYPATY, the guitar chops and emotive lyrics of 2004's Couch Songs, and finally slightly too sweet poppiness of Trust Falls... this album takes the best of all of those efforts and rolls them into a great culmination of Peter at his best. This is pop gold, Jerry, gold!
    Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.

  • Superchunk - Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995). I'm playing Pandora Radio at work. Hey, I recognize that song! It's "Hyper Enough" by Superchunk. Yes, Denis tried to convince me this band was worth listening to, but I could never get into them. Then Pandora moves on to another song by a different group, then another... background noise for a half hour... hey! Another cool song! This is odd... it's also by Superchunk. "Silver Leaf and Snowy Tears". And also on Here's Where the String Come In. Huh. Back to background noise for an hour... Wow, this voice sounds familiar. There's no way... yup, the 3rd great song I've heard in two hours, and, yup, from Superchunk, and yup, from that same album -- this one is "Detroit Has a Skyline." I'm sold. Guess I needed a blind taste-test to hear what I was missing. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint either. Time to visit the back catalog!
    Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
  • The Thermals - Insound Tour Support 2.0 (2007). I really got this b/c of the old Insound Tour Support series, which (although I ultimately got screwed on $ on it) had some great, unheard music. I actually like this better than More Parts Per Million, which Dan will likely have a cow over, but this collection of live tracks is just my speed, and captures these guys at their best -- live.
    Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
  • Tool - Aenima (1996). I loved Tool's debut album, and really never found a reason that I had to go out and get any of their other albums. Through trial and error (and their declining radio airtime re-peaking my interest), this is my other favorite album by the band. It's got some great songs but overall is not as satisfying as their debut. Great to listen to in the car.
    Verdict: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Bob Mould - District Line (2008)

So I have to admit -- even as a true Bob Mould nut, I was really worried even before I heard a note of this album. Let's examine the warning signs:

1. There was no real build-up for the album;
2. none of the songs had be
en played live for any length of time;
3. there were no b-si
des or extras for the album; and
4. Bob's comments on the album were slightly cautious.

Now I could go on (for quite some length, ac
tually) as to why this analysis was significant, but suffice it to say that this is basically the same formula that led to what I would consider to be Bob's worst album since he left Hüsker Dü, The Last Dog and Pony Show. (In Bob's defense, this album still had three gems -- "New #1," "Moving Trucks," and "Who Was Around?" -- and overall was better than 3/4 of the music I heard that year. The man just operates on a different level than other artists.)

As a music listener, I like to assimilate, judge, an
d organize. I'll listen to the album, form an opinion, and then decide how that album fits into my musical life. Sometimes one listen is all it takes; other times it'll take twenty. The process differs from album to album and listening format to listening format (as detailed here).

This one took one listen. My first thought:
this was the worst album Bob had ever made. No doubt. My second thought: I should play this album again.

This went on for a number of listens: this albu
m is no good... I should play it again.

I get a phone/iPod. Get it all set up, and am ready to load up music. The first album I think to put on it? District Line. What the hell is going on?

I can't figure it out, but I'm basically in the throes of what I'd call "Subconscious Listening," where
part of your brain is insisting there's gold at the end of the rainbow, but can't tell you why; the other part of your brain wishes it would hurry the fuck up and get there already.

At this point, I'm listening to the album constantly. Bob's voice, which sounds underproduced at first, is clearly an affect: there's more of a raw quality here than some of his previous efforts, which makes the songs more personal
and emotional. I've now gone from one good song to four great ones: "Stupid Now," "The Silence Between Us," "Very Temporary," and "Walls in Time" (the latter of which was left off the 1989 classic Worbook). On the first listen, I swore off "Again and Again"; now I'm not only listening to it but enjoying it. My first listen also completely underestimated the lyrical depth of the album.

Three things that can't be denied: Bob Mould is a great guitar player; Bob Mould is also an excellent bass player; and Brendan Canty (of Fugazi) is a great drummer. These factors can only help.


So my overall opinion of the album? Here it is: I'm playing it constantly. I'm not going to say it's great, and I'm not going to say you'll love it, but I am playing it all the time. And I think that's as good of an endorsement any album could ever get -- that's the whole point, right?

Before we get to the ratings, I also saw the man with his band (no Brendan Canty, unfortunately) Wednesday night at The Paradise in Boston. (Thanks to Margo Saulnier for the pic.)


I've never seen a crowd go that nuts at a Bob show before (more an indictment of Boston crowds than of Bob). During the Hüsker Dü classic "Divide and Conquer" the front was starting to turn into a 1-man mosh pit. (Another Margo pic.)


I'll always have favorites that won't make into Bob's setlists (he has been making albums for 27 years now, after all), so I'll save my grousing. I hadn't heard "Can't Help You Anymore" live since I saw Sugar in 1995, and "Moving Trucks" since TLDAPS tour of 1998; I don't think "Divide and Conquer" has been played since 1987, so you have to give credit to Bob for digging deep on this setlist. He only played 3 songs off the new album, one of which ("Miniature History") was one of the only two mis-steps in the whole show (a slowed-down "Circles" was the other). (Thanks to Paul Hilcoff for the pic.)


The show was a blur of sound, fury, and lots of smiles from Bob. Great crowd energy never hurts, but these guys were on top of it all night. They started strong with "The Act We Act," "A Good Idea," and "I Hate Alternative Rock," threw in an intense "Hanging Tree" in the middle, and rode Hüsker Dü ("I Apologize," "Celebrated Summer," "Chartered Trips," "Makes No Sense at All," etc.) and Sugar tunes all the way home. (Another shot from Paul.)


It was loud, it was intense, and it was fun. The energy was unbelievable and most everyone I saw walked out with big smiles. Thanks for a great evening, Bob. (One more shot from Paul.)


The final verdict?

CD Placement rating:
I'm listening to this every hour. Definitely enjoyable. It goes into the CD changer, onto the iPod, and onto both the desktop and laptop. I may burn a 2nd copy to make sure I'm covered.

Merch rating: I own almost everything the man has ever recorded. So I went to the show and bought a t-shirt, the limited edition print, and the vinyl of his last album (2005's Body of Song.) And I would have bought another t-shirt for a friend if they had larger sizes (no 2-XL). Now that's a positive merch rating.

iTunes suggestions: "Stupid Now," "The Silence Between Us," "Very Temporary," and "Walls in Time."

-Snilch

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Quick Hits - The Undecided List, Part 2

The genesis of this, once again, was 25+ hours in a car, which was followed up on with an additional 12 hours on a subsequent trip. Again, these ones are out of the mix for getting into the car, as they didn’t grab me the first time there. Make sense?

In alphabetical order:
  • Gabby Glaser - Gimmie Splash (2007). As detailed here, I've always been a big fan of Gabby Glaser of Luscious Jackson fame, but was quite puzzled that neither she nor songwriting partner Jill Cunniff had released anything since the band broke up. Then they both release solo debuts the same year. Very odd. This album has the groove of Luscious Jackson, but it's oddly detached and thus falls short. This one hangs on for grim death at the very end of my CD Rack, but only because of her history with LJ. Maybe it will eventually grow on me.
    Verdict: Blah. CD Rack.

  • Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike (2005). Allmusic.com describes this group as "combining elements of punk, gypsy music, and Brecht-ian cabaret," which is better than how I would have summed them up. Pat turned me on to this band after seeing them play a screaming live show. This album is a trip... just all over the place. These people are truly nuts. I think I need to see them live to make a better determination as to what they are all about... the album itself is just tough to completely fathom. Who am I kidding, they are completely and wonderfully warped. How's that for a review?
    Verdict: Undecided but intrigued. Use this to scare unwanted Republicans away from your house. Portable CD Case as I have to give it more listens (clearly).
  • Grizzly Bear - Friends EP (2007). I got into these guys when I heard a partial clip of their fantastically sparse cover of Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart," which still has not been officially released to my dismay (and while I'm at it: Cat Power, please release your cover of "Hanging on the Telephone" as well). This is very sparse, delicate at times, but well-crafted and interesting. This is nice music... very mellow but never boring.
    Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
  • Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (2006). I make it a point not to review albums by the same band in the same post, but I goofed here. When writing the above review for Friends, I thought I was listening to Yellow House, which I discovered as I attempted to put the Friends CD in a case that was already full. This turns out to be a solid but unspectacular full-length of originals. Oddly I prefer Friends, which consists of 2 new songs, 5 alternate versions of songs they've previously released, and 3 covers of their songs by other bands (including CSS). I know this review is supposed to be about Yellow House right now, but Friends has much more to talk about. Go figure.
    Verdict: I'd listen to Friends first, but this is not bad. CD Rack.
  • Jesu - Conqueror (2006). There's not much I can say about this one -- it is so good it's scary. The 2-CD version (with "Sundown" and "Sunrise") really makes this a complete album, although when I bought this version I could only find it as an import. It's worth the extra expense. Think My Bloody Valentine at 2/3 speed. Really cool stuff, it just doesn't play in the car. Absolutely one of my favorite albums from the last 2 years. It's droney, plodding, and deliberate in a great way. I love this one.
    Verdict: Just beautiful. Portable CD Case.
  • Mia - Kala (2007). The musicality of this one can't be denied -- but as it's not quite as silly as Mu or as dense as later De La Soul, I've had problems painting this one into its proper corner. Today I've decided to be optimistic. It's a little hip-hop, a little (very little) dance, and a little old-school rap. I have to say hearing the lyrics to "Where is My Mind" by The Pixies re-done as a monotone, synthesized chorus in "20 Dollar" took some getting used to, but I'm coming around to it. "XR2" is a great play on "Shake Your Rump," complete with cash register and gun firing sound effects -- I've decided to be amused rather than disturbed by this, and to treat this as an ironic and not damning social commentary at the moment. Overall, I need to listen to this more, but for the moment I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
    Verdict: Recommended if you like the genre. Portable CD Case (for research purposes).
  • Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981, re-mastered version released in 2001). I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest you're unlikely to find any music source that is willing to go from Jesu to Mia to Motörhead in the same breath and pretend it still can be taken seriously. Fortunately, I have no such aspirations. I'd never listened to Motörhead in my life until about 6 months ago, which apparently is some type of crazy hole in my musical life. This live album would be great for Motörhead freaks... not for me, though. Probably not for you either, eh?
    Verdict: Sell-back 1.
  • The Screaming Blue Messiahs - BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1988). My friend Liz gave me some tapes with a bunch of odds and ends from early '80's Boston radio on it -- and what really stuck was The Screaming Blue Messiahs. Apparently known for their "hit" "I Wanna Be a Flinstone" (news to me), this group mysteriously just stopped in the late '80's before they ever got big, with no real explanation. Finding their albums is like trying to find breadcrumbs in a forest of pigeons. But I tracked this down and I must say that I'm happy I did. They are a country/blues band sped up, and thus very pleasing. Frontman Bill Carter gets on my nerves slightly with his over the top, almost evangelical, delivery, but his guitar playing is topnotch. As everything comes in 3's, think of him visually as the younger brother of Bob Mould and Frank Black -- and "once described as 'the ugliest man in rock!'" That quote (and the exclamation point) are from the album liner notes. 'Nuff said.
    Verdict: Recommended if you can find it. Portable CD Case.
  • Peter Searcy - Trust Falls (2005). This is the Squirrel Bait frontman's 3rd solo effort, following 2000's somewhat lackluster Could You Please and Thank You and 2004's breakthrough Couch Songs. This one doesn't measure up to the acoustic Couch Songs, which is odd for me as this is more rock and I tend to stray towards the heavier stuff. Peter constantly straddles the line between pure pop/rock excellence and pure pop/rock sappiness, and here he mostly verges towards the latter. Which is too bad -- he needs a bit more sneer. I wonder if his follow-up (2007's Spark) is better... but you'll just have to wait on that for another day.
    Verdict: Not recommended. CD Rack in case I have a change of heart later.
  • Social Distortion - Prison Bound (1988). I got into these guys late in the game, but 1990's Social Distortion and 1992's Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell are about as good as you'll ever hear in back-to-back albums. This album got high marks too, but it's not in that class. A little more raw, a little less defined, but you can hear where they were going. Something like "Lawless" is rough, but they are laying the foundation melodically towards a couple of great albums.
    Verdict: Recommended for Social D fans, but only after buying those other 2 albums. CD Rack.
  • Sum 41 - All Killer No Filler (2001). My friend Sean was into these guys and thus I gave them a shot. Well, 7 years later, but better late than never, right? I think he was actually referring to their debut, Half Hour of Power, but I could be wrong. This was enjoyable but a little dated to listen to, surprisingly. I just could not get into it. We'll give Half Hour a shot, though.
    Verdict: Sell-back pile 1.
- Snilch

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Great to Good in '08

Many of these are from '07, but you get the idea.

The brilliant and talented
Scott Bishop helped me identify this trend, for which I have to thank him. Well, the talented Scott Bishop. Okay, the competent musician Scott Bishop. In any case, the issue with these albums is that they follow what I would consider a great previous album... and this one doesn't measure up. The Cult's latest album falls into this category as well, but I've already reviewed it. In alphabetical order:
  • Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark (2008). I love most of their music, but they lost me here. I'll take "The Righteous Path" with me as I walk out the door -- I really loved 2004's A Blessing and a Curse, so hopefully this is a blip on the radar of an otherwise stalwart body of work.
    Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back pile 1.
  • Jeremy Enigk – The Missing Link (2007). The former lead singer of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft released the brilliant World Waits after a 3-year hiatus. 12 months later, he released this. You do the math. Not recommended, and in time it may be his only album (I own 5 SDRE, 1 Fire Theft, and 2 other solo albums of his) that I sell back. I feel the tug to give him more of a chance, but I really can’t get into this; for the time being his history buys admission to my CD rack. It’s not bad… just not good.
    Verdict: CD Rack.
  • Film SchoolHideout (2007). Just simply not as good as the last one, but very listenable.
    Verdict: CD Rack.
  • José González - In Our Nature (2007). If you don't know who José González is, you are missing a brilliant folk talent. Voice, lyrics, guitar playing -- he has it all. Both his albums are absolutely MUST HAVE'S for your CD collection. Forced to choose between the two, I have to say that this album is very good, while his first album (Veneer) is unbeliveable. But it's splitting hairs. The guy is brilliant.
    Verdict: You haven't left the house yet? Go get this and/or
    Veneer. Portable CD Case.
  • The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (2007). Thunder Lightning Strike is a must-have for every CD collection -- fun, funky tunes from top to bottom. This one still has that energy, but is just simply not wall-to-wall great songs. "Grip Like a Vice," "Doing It Right," and "Flashlight Fight" (with Chuck D of Public Enemy) are as good as anything on the first album, but otherwise the tricks and licks are much the same. Still a great album to have, just not as good as the first album.
    Verdict:
    Pick up a Go! Team album to balance that José González pickup. Portable CD Case.
  • Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog (2007). This is more of a career indictment than a single album fall-off. Denis wisely jumped off this ship years ago, but I held fast. I wrote off In the Reins as a bad experiment with Calexico, but I can't ignore this one -- we're going in circles here. It's the same damn album again... again. Note to Sam Beam: move forward, please. At least we'll always have The Creek That Drank the Cradle.
    Verdict: Pile of death. Getting off the merry-go-round.
  • Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007). Oh You're So Silent Jens, his previous album is an odd, quirky collection of well-written songs. There are similar moments here, but overall it seems like someone told the man to drop the quirkiness and smooth everything. Bad move -- sounds pretty sanitized to me.
    Verdict: Go buy his previous album. Avoid this one.
  • Les Savy Fav- Let's Stay Friends (2007). Following up on their most remarkable effort yet, the 2004 compilation Inches (eigtheen tracks from nine 7" singles, released on 7 different labels), this is their best non-compilation album to date (the last was in 2001). I'd start with Inches first, but long-time fans will be happy with this one... very nice stuff. In fact, I had put this album down for quite a while and am realizing only now what a mistake that was.
    Verdict: Recommended. Good enough to make it into the CD Changer... still not as good as Inches. Go see their live show, they are ferocious!
  • Low - Drums and Guns (2007). Low is generally a bit... well, low-key for me, but on The Great Destroyer Alan Sparhawk & Co. met me halfway for a really enjoyable album. When I heard this was more of the same, I picked it up. I was lied to. I'll take "Sandanista" and "Bury the Hatchet" and call it a loss otherwise.
    Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back pile 1.
  • M83 - Digital Shades, Volume 1 (2007). With the first strains of keyboards on this one, I keep waiting for Steve Winwood to start singing. I can't believe I am going to say this, but that would be preferable to what transpires here. It's ambient, it's electronic, it goes nowhere: it's pretty but soulless (much like Paris Hilton). It's a movie soundtrack without the movie... and it really needs the movie. Their previous effort, Before the Dawn Heals Us, is a "I will buy the next album, go to the show, and buy everything they've ever done"; this one is "do I really want to waste $7 AND a whole evening to see them at the Middle East?" They've devolved into a less poppy Vangelis, if that is possible. You see where this is headed.
    Verdict: Pile of death.
  • Nada Surf - Lucky (2008). This is somewhat unfair. Most known for that irrepressibly catchy song of high school alienation, "Popular," Nada Surf's body of work has gone unnoticed but is just fantastic. This album (which is quite good), just doesn't measure up to their last effort, The Weight Is a Gift, which has stayed in my car since it came out. This album is a bit softer, which is fine, but they've done better than this in the past. If this is your "re-" introduction to the group, you won't be disappointed -- and you'll have the promise of other great albums to follow if you further pursue their back catalog. Make sure you get the bonus disc for my favorite track ("Everyone's On Tour").
    Verdict: Recommended if you don't know Nada Surf, or even if you do. Portable CD case.
  • Ullrich Schnauss - Goodbye (2007). His first album, A Strangely Isolated Place, is quirky, offbeat, and great. This one is a little less adventurous, and suffers for it. Still some very nice stuff here and there, but I don't need to keep it.
    Verdict: Buy
    A Strangely Isolated Place. Avoid this one. Sell-back pile 1.
Hopefully these artists will be back to "Mighty Fine in '09." (What would we do without clients?)

- Snilch