Music Pride. Here's Proof. I Promise.

One correction from last post: Ken points out (with video evidence, no less!) that XTC actually has made a handful of live appearances since 1982, as part of an acoustic radio tour in 1989 and also making sporadic TV appearances, such as this one on Late Night with David Letterman. (In the first clip, that's Andy Partridge who looks like a cross between Bob Mould and Freddie Mercury; in the second, that's him with the top hat).

Conclusion: I still like my story better, with the downside being that it's not true. Details, details... thanks, Ken.

Here's a whole bunch of crap I've been listening to. (And yes, I am working on your mix CD's.) In alphabetical order:

• James Dean Bradfield – The Great Western (2006). The lead singer from The Manic Street Preachers gives us one great song (“That’s No Way to Tell a Lie”) and a bunch of innocuous ones. Pick up the song on iTunes; the album is only for the MSP completist.
  Verdict: Sell-back Pile 1.

• Love of Diagrams – Mosaic (2007). Their EP was first profiled here. This is a very solid album by a band that has a great sound at a young age and a ton of potential. My worry is that this first album is a little too polished, if you know what I mean. “Form and Function” is a great example: it’s a great leadoff track, it’s nicely produced – it’s a great song. But it’s a little too slick for its own good. That isn’t to say that should deter you from picking it up – I’m just being cranky and taking it out on Love of Diagrams. This album is absolutely great: poppy, guitar-driven, mid-to-uptempo indie rock. Somehow I hear a cross of INXS, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Dresden Dolls, Pylon, and Rainer Maria, if that makes any sense. (Not much does make sense in this review, come to think of it.) Bottom line: I really like this album and will definitely check out their next one. This one is one of my new favorites.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
  
  
• New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playground (2007). I saw the video for “The Bomb” on MTV2’s Subterranean and was hooked. And you probably know one of the songs – “Ice Cream” was all over TV as a commercial. They’re young, it’s danceable, it rocks! I could play “The Bomb” all day every day. Really good guitar-synth-girl singer pop, although not really a complete album. You can tell they have a great album in them… as long as they avoid input from the A&R people.
  Verdict: Recommended, especially if you like bands like CSS. (I won’t name names… Andrew.) Portable CD Case.
  
  
• Silversun Pickups – Carnavas (2006). This is actually getting more airplay now, I believe, than when it was released two years ago. I really like these guys –- this is an excellent indie rock album, IMHO. But what really sold me on the band was watching a live clip of “Lazy Eye” on MTV2, which is much more fierce than the studio version. If they can channel a little of that energy into a studio album… now THAT would be something. Think Kill Hannah meets Built to Spill. Excellent album.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
  
  
• Sum 41 – Half Hour of Power (2000). When I mentioned Sean was a fan of these guys in this post this post, he corrected me -- he tells me he was actually into Green Day. And The Spice Girls. Seriously. No, seriously, I can’t make this stuff up, and I wouldn’t say that about anybody if it weren’t true (not even Sean). This is a decent album, but like All Killer No Filler, it’s a bit saccharine-ey. Sweet taste but not filling. So Sean – sorry for the incorrect attribution. (P.S. Scott was under the same impression I was about you liking Sum 41. So I blame you.)
  Verdict: Not recommended. Neither are The Spice Girls. “Peaches” Pile/Pile of Death.
  
  
• Squirrel Bait – Squirrel Bait (1985). This was one of two albums these Louisville, KY teens released before Peter Searcy went out to do his own things and the rest of the band formed Slint. Musically, it’s punk-ish and pop-like. “When I Fall” is the best of a decent group of songs. I’ll keep it as a historical document.
  Verdict: CD Rack.

• Linda Thompson – Versatile Heart (2007). Linda Thompson returned in 2002 with Fashionably Late, her first record in 17 years, which was remarkable as she had finally recovered from hysterical dysphonia, which is essentially a psychological condition that resulted in her inability to sing, and thus had completely halted her career. She followed that album (which was fine but not really remarkable) with this one in 2007. Most famous as the second half of the “Richard and Linda Thompson” duo, her voice is still amazing, but this album does not do it for me.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Pile of Death.

• Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior (2007). The other half of the duo. Richard Thompson has tended to have had one monumental album each decade (Shoot Out the Lights in the 80’s and Mock Tudor in the 90’s), and decent to excellent albums in between. This falls into the former category. “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” was an absolute scorcher live, and when you understand that “Dad” is slang for “Bagdad,” you realize that this song has a lot going on. "I'll Never Give It Up" and "Johnny's Far Away" are classic RT songs. “Needle and Thread” is also a keeper. On the other hand, there a bunch of tracks I’m on the fence about. It’s not a bad album -- I just have plenty of other excellent albums by Sir Richard I’d rather go back and listen to.
  Verdict: Enjoyable for RT fans. Otherwise, buy yourself Mock Tudor or the gold disc of Shoot Out the Lights (which really is worth the extra $$$). CD Rack.
  

• Year of the Rabbit – Year of the Rabbit (2003). When I hinted here at my musical man-crush on Ken Andrews, who know it would take 10 months to actually follow up on it? (Hmmm… you don’t seem surprised.) Year of the Rabbit (like On, which was reviewed in the above link) is another band for Ken Andrews after the breakup of my all-time faves, Failure. This album is not terribly complicated, but I really enjoy it. “Rabbit Hole” is a great leadoff track and Ken follows up with great song after great song: "Last Defense," "Absent Stars," "Vaporize, and "Hunted" are highlights for me too. (Yes, I just referred to almost half the album as “highlights.”) A little heavier and grungier than Failure, it’s eminently enjoyable. There is a unified “sound” to this album that is great. Not a bad song in the bunch; I wish they had done another album together.
  Verdict: Recommended. Car CD Changer.
  

- Snilch

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

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