11 Songs I'm Playing Constantly These Days

In no particular order:

1. The Weakerthans – "The Reasons"
2. Scott Bishop – "The Start (Again)"
3. The Wrens – "Rest Your Head"
4. Ride – "Time of Her Time"
5. Ride - "Furthest Sense"
6. Idlewild – "Little Discourage"
7. All – "She’s My Ex"
8. The Shiela Divine – "Like a Criminal"
9. Manic Street Preachers – "Marlon J.D."
10. Bob Mould - "Paralyzed" (yes, still)
11. The Big Sleep - "Pinkies"

- Snilch

Compilation Roundup

I have been listening to a ton of music lately, but all towards the end of my newest editions of the $15 Song CD's, which I will explain further someday. If you weren't convinced of my total insanity before that... well, suffice it to say that this will be the tiebreaker.

Instead, today we'll discuss compilations. As mentioned here, I've come up with a rating system just for compilations/greatest hits fare, which I have intended as transparent and merciless. As a reminder, the idea is that you want to be high on the casual fan rating scale and low on the hardcore fan ripoff factor. In lazy, non-alphabetical order:

• Asia - The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982-1990) (2000 - 1 CD). Yes, this is how I've decided to start this mess. Asia sounds better in retrospective than it did back in the day, which will not save it from Sell-Back Pile 1. I am struck at how much Steve Howe's guitar sound from early Asia (1982) mimics the sound he was using for the Yes album Drama (1980), or how much their later songs tonally echo Trevor Rabin's sound (his replacement in Yes). Can't argue with "Heat of the Moment" or "The Heat Goes On"; the rest is best left to the radio.
  Verdict: Sell-back Pile 1.
  Compilation rating: Moderate. For the casual fan, this is great. For the hardcore fan, allmusic.com says "For diehards, it's essential for the three rare B-sides 'Daylight,' 'Lying to Yourself,' and 'Ride Easy' and the detailed liner notes," but that seems like a stretch. And those songs are not that good. I'd say this is a moderate ripoff for those fans.
  
  
• Superchunk - Tossing Seeds: Singles 1989-91 (1991 - 1 CD). This is absolutely great. For the casual fan or the hardcore collector, this collection is not only full of great material, but collects all of their early 7" singles into one package. If you're not into Superchunk (like I wasn't), this is the perfect place to start.
  Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: Very high. High marks for the casual fan, low marks as a ripoff since it's a great album on its own. Everyone wins.
  
• Failure - Essentials (2006 - 2 CDs). This is great because you do get most of the highlights from Failure's brief but significant three album career; for the hardcore fan, you get a lot of unreleased demos and outtakes. This is not so great because they released a whole bunch of other demos and outtakes in 2004 in the DVD/CD compilation Golden. Methinks this is the end of the line for any material they have in the closet... or maybe we'll see yet another compilation in the next two years. Please stop now.
  Verdict: CD Rack.
  Compilation rating: Moderate to high. Great for the casual fan, and nice for the completist. But a lot to buy for the latter.
  
• Idlewild - Scottish Fiction: The Best of 1997-2007 (2007 - 1 CD). Oddity #1: They released an original album (which is still in Car CD Changer, Make Another World) as well as this compilation in 2007. Oddity #2: Some of the tracks on the compilation are from that album (which seems to be a bit recent to include, no?). Oddity #3: They are still together and touring. Oddity #4: They are currently working on a new album. I bought this so I could get familiar with their back catalog, but this really is a total ripoff for loyal fans. It's a decent album, but totally a cash cow at this point in their career.
  Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: Low. Okay for casual fans but a definite gouge for hardcore fans.
  
• Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth (2007 - 3 CDs). If you have never heard this album, you are not alone, but you are missing out on the finest piece of minimalist post-punk you will likely ever hear. Much like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, this album is something you listen to and wonder how it ever came together -- and yes, I am comfortable in comparing this album to MBV's absolute classic, which says it all. This set is basically everything they ever recorded -- their 1979 album (Colossal Youth), their 1982 EP (Testcard), the entire demos album that was released a few years ago (Salad Days), and even their John Peel Session from 1980. Plus, the remastering for this album really brings out the full sound of the albums, which I find to be exception rather than the rule. Finally, the extensive liner notes tell the whole band story. I'd put this in the "must-have" category, and you might as well get this compilation and own it all. It is worth it and a real slice of history.
  Verdict: A Car Changer CD comp that goes into the Portable CD Case only because of its style.
  Compilation rating: It's got to be high; even if you own their other stuff (like I do), it's great to have it all in one place and remastered, and the casual fan gets everything they ever recorded. High casual fan rating, low hardcore fan ripoff factor.
  
• James - The Best of (1998 - 1 CD). Long considered a poor-man's version of The Smiths, James has some great songs and features the distinctive voice of Tim Booth. Known primarily for the songs "Sit Down" and "Born of Frustration," this compilation is exactly what I want out of this group -- all the hits and some quirky surprises. It's a nice summary and all I really need.Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: Probably high.
  
• Even as We Speak - A Three Minute Song Is One Minute Too Long/The Singles 1986 to 1990 (2005 - 1 CD). Category: best compilation title. Winner: Even as We Speak. This obscure Australian pop band really reflects the 60's, and what I'd consider "Australian pop," even though I'm not quite sure what that is. (And that's not INXS, which is more British or American in its sensibilities.) But like pornography, I can't define it but I know it when I see (er, hear) it; now that I think about it, I've always associated the quaint sound of The Moles/Richard Davies as "Australian pop," and this is definitely in that vein. This is a nice piece of history that shouldn't just go away.Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: High. This combines a bunch of long out-of print vinyl singles onto CD for the first time. As a first-time listener, this is a great summation of the band as well.
• Snuff - Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other (2005 - 2 CD's). Thanks to the late, great, Lance Hahn, I checked these guys out. Much like the Failure compilation, it's got "greatest hits" on disc 1 and rarities, demos, etc., on disc 2. They've got a great sound from that grunge era and their original tunes are solid but not spectacular, but still definitely worth listening to. It's actually disc 2 that makes this so much fun -- I am a sucker for covers, and these guys have it in spades. "I Think We're Alone Now," "Don't Fear the Reaper," "I Can See Clearly Now," "I Will Survive," and "Hokey Cokey" (oh yes -- the Hokey Pokey meets punk!) highlight the surprisingly solid 2nd piece of the puzzle. A lot of fun, ala The Nomads.
  Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: High. High on the casual fan index, low on the ripoff factor.
  
• Swervedriver - Juggernaut Rides '89-'98 (2005 - 2 CD's). This is one of those rare compilations where I really don't distinguish between the individual songs, but the blur is a really pleasant ride. The one song that really jumped out at me was "Planes Over the Skyline," which is a nice song. But when I mis-heard the lyrics as "Flames Over the Skyline" -- now that was epic. Too bad. "Never Lose That Feeling" and "Son of a Mustang Ford" highlight Disc One; Disc Two contains four unrerleased tracks, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason (and certainly no chronological order) to what went where. But someone had some sense of how to put this all together in a sensible musical order, because in the end it does work as a unified piece. Overall, I'm extremely happy with it, but would probably be pissed if I owned all of their albums and had to buy a two-disc set to get four songs. Think melodic grunge that's very cleanly produced. To be honest, I probably need more time with this one - my opinion nmght be different in two years, for better or worse. I'm guessing better.Verdict: Portable CD Case.
  Compilation rating: Low to moderate. For casual fans or the ultra-completist.

- Snilch

I've Got a Lot of Time on My Hands, Apparently

Unemployment, meet blog activity.

Here's an update before I jump into the reviews: on first listen, I'm pretty impressed with the new albums from M83 (Saturdays = Youth), Millencolin (Machine 15), R.E.M. (Accelerate), The Roots (Rising Down), and Thalia Zedek Band (Liars and Prayers). I'll have more detailed impressions later. The obvious conclusion is that bands alphabetized from A-L are just mailing it in this year.

• Ken Andrews – Secrets of the Lost Satellite (2007). This took a number of listens to get into, primarily because it’s well produced, but there's no tension. For the frontman for Year of the Rabbit, On, and Failure, this is a disappointment simply because it’s not great like everything else he’s ever done. But it’s still very good. I’ll keep it, although it’s just not quite as good as his other stuff.
  Verdict: Recommended, but get familiar with Failure first. CD Rack.

• Armalite – Armalite (2006). The first track (“Entitled”) is fast, punky, and musically excellent. The rest of the album is more of the same, not quite as good but there is a lot here to like – nice hooks and lots of potential from the kids. Think Sum 41 if they had paid more attention to Sleater-Kinney. Of course, a song like “Husker Dave” (which starts with a riff from “Celebrated Summer” by Hüsker Dü) doesn’t hurt either. Their lyrics are both ironic and intelligent… there’s even a little Dead Milkmen here. I like these guys better and better the more I listen to them.
  Verict: Highly recommended. This is my 5^th or 6^th listen: I originally penciled this in as “Sell-back Pile 1” when I started this review… upon further listens this has moved up to Portable CD Case and may even have an outside shot of hitting the Car CD Changer.

• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81 (2007). Black Rebel Motorcycle Club returns with a very typical BRMC album, and “Weapon of Choice” is a classic BMRC single. I love the guitar and vocal sound; they’re just not treading any new ground here. This is fine for long-time fans but I’d start earlier in their catalog first.
  Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.

• CSS – Cansei de ser Sexy (2006). The album opens with a simple lyric: “C… S… S… sucks.” This continues for the entire first minute of the album. Any group who can be that self-effacing will always have a place in my heart. This is definitely driving material – they’re a better vocabularied, electronicized, mid-tempo dancepop version of The Donnas. Not every song is great, and the album is not monumental, but it's a lot of fun. Want to hear them? You probably already have – they did that commercial with the lyrics “Music is my boyfriend,” which is on this album. Thanks for the recommendation, Andrew!
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.

• Idlewild – Make Another World (2007). Another "first line truism": any album that starts with “In competition for the worst first line I could use” is already three steps ahead of the game. This album is a little grungy, a little heavy, a little poppy, and definitely enjoyable. “In Competition for Worst Time” is a great start; the second song (“Everything (As It Moves)”) did not strike me until I had a dream where it was the soundtrack, where I was James Bond or something silly like that. (Note to reader: my maturity has not reached that of a teenager yet.) And of course “No Emotion” is just an all-time great – worth the price of admission all by itself. Great album.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.

• Nada Surf – North 6^th Street (1999). This is a collection of demos and alternate takes, which I’m normally not keen on – but these are excellent. If you’re like me and own everything Nada Surf has ever recorded, this is a must-have. If you don’t, this holds up even as a bizarro greatest hits album, truth be told. I was really surprised at how much I liked this album and how good the alternate/demo takes actually are. And yes, it’s got “Popular.”
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.

• Street Dogs – Fading American Dream (2006). Local Boston products with a lot of rage – a more slightly melodic Dropkick Murphy’s combined with a less lyrically interesting Against Me! “Fatty” is a great song of high school angst. And you have to respect them attempting a Billy Bragg cover (“There Is Power in a Union”). I want to like them more, but I just don’t.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.

• Team Robespierre – Everything's Perfect (2008). The group has the manic energy of The Go! Team wrapped into a dual synthesizer attack. Not as musically diverse but you really cannot deny the force of these guys. More mid-tempo than 10 songs in 18 minutes would suggest. A guilty pleasure for sure, but I love it! “88^th Precinct” is a great single – if you like that, you’ll like the album as all the songs sound the same. In a good way.
  Verdict: Recommended. I keep flipping back and forth on whether it belongs in the Car Cd Changer or the Portable CD Case… who am I kidding, Car CD Changer.

• Wire – Read and Burn 03 (2007). Following their return with the brilliant Read and Burn 01 and 02 (consolidated into the album Send in 2003), we get the latest offering from Elastica’s favorite musical inspiration, Wire. This is a four-song EP that is very solid overall. The EP may not be the best initial entry point to get into Wire, but if you're a fan and/or liked Send/Read and Burn as much as I did, you should definitely pick this up. These guys are just great.
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.

- Snilch