We had been hearing about these guys for ages, the saviors of indie rock, the darlings of Pitchfork and pretty much every other taste making blog out there, and the first time we heard them, all we could think was, "holy cow, these guys sound so much like Pavement". Which is definitely true, these guys have that slacker jangle thing down pat, and by now, longtime readers of the aQ list know we have nothing against derivative sounds, as long as those sounds are done really well and creatively, and are derivative of something we love, which Parquet Courts definitely deliver. We find ourselves writing stuff like 'they don't make music like that anymore' in lots of reviews, and as far as Pavementy jangle pop goes, that's definitely true, so in keeping with our endless obsession with that nineties sound, we're digging this new Parquet Courts a lot. And even though we never managed to review their debut, that one got a lot of play too.
So yeah, this is essentially a modern strain of nineties style indie/college rock, and these guys do it really well. The songs aren't quite as catchy as vintage Pavement, the vocals take some getting used to, a sort of deadpan Lou Reed meets Stephen Malkmus, but with each listen these jams grow on us more and more, and we find ourselves getting these tracks lodged pretty solidly in our heads. Which is always a good sign. Hard to pick out a favorite, although a quick listener to opener "Bodies Made Of" should tell you all you need to know. Definitely a thumbs up from us, way recommended if you dig that sound, and if for some crazy reason you're thinking to yourself right now "Who's Pavement?", stop what you're doing and get yourself a copy of Slanted And Enchanted, and then we can talk Parquet Courts...
Haunting and lovely avant-folk recording from French multi-instrumentalist Emmanuelle Parrenin. Recorded in 1977, Parrenin's fascination and adeptness with ancient traditional stringed instruments such as the harp, hurdy-gurdy, spinet, and dulcimer, gives a unique spin on her more forward thinking compositions. Often compared to Vashti Bunyan and Linda Perhacs due to her sweet multi-tracked vocals which accompany about half of the songs, we think the later recording date puts her more in line with Kay Hoffman's Floret Silva (another progressive folk masterpiece recorded the same year) or the kosmiche pastoral vibe of Popol Vuh due to the layered Celtic-inflected droning harmonies she evokes from her instruments. Beautiful and so recommended!
Before we actually listened to this reissue, we didn't expect too much from these fairly obscure Swedish psychedelic underground rockers, having never heard them before, and knowing only that they were an earlier incarnation of another Swedish hippy rock
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Newly Reissued on Vinyl!!!!!
The enigma of Gram Parsons remains ever elusive. Considered the Father of Country Rock by pioneering the concept of a rock band playing country music through his contributions with The Incredible Submarine Band, The Flying Burrito Bros, and The Byrds later output, namely Sweetheart of the Rodeo. But it's Parson's two solo records on Reprise, G.P. from 1972 and Grievous Angel from 1973 that cemented his legend and legacy... due to his untimely death from a morphine and tequila overdose near the Joshua Tree National Monument only weeks after the Grievous Angel sessions were completed. He was 27 years old. Previously only available as a two-fer cd, these absolutely essential solo albums have now been given room to breathe and stand up as two completely individual listening experiences. So utterly heartbreaking. The only happiness that comes from these sessions is the magical presence of EmmyLou Harris who was introduced to the world with these records and was an equal partner in their making, and without her, the legacy of these recordings would not shine as brightly.
Newly Reissued on Vinyl!!!!!
The enigma of Gram Parsons remains ever elusive. Considered the Father of Country Rock by pioneering the concept of a rock band playing country music through his contributions with The Incredible Submarine Band, The Flying Burrito Bros, and The Byrds later output, namely Sweetheart of the Rodeo. But it's Parson's two solo records on Reprise, G.P. from 1972 and Grievous Angel from 1973 that cemented his legend and legacy... due to his untimely death from a morphine and tequila overdose near the Joshua Tree National Monument only weeks after the Grievous Angel sessions were completed. He was 27 years old. Previously only available as a two-fer cd, these absolutely essential solo albums have now been given room to breathe and stand up as two completely individual listening experiences. So utterly heartbreaking. The only happiness that comes from these sessions is the magical presence of EmmyLou Harris who was introduced to the world with these records and was an equal partner in their making, and without her, the legacy of these recordings would not shine as brightly.
People had been coming in the store asking if we had this Part Time record for a while before we were able to get it in and check them out for ourselves, and now we can see what the fuss was all about. This is great bedroom left field pop, equal parts James Pants, Nite Jewel, Ariel Pink, and Washed Out. Every track on What Would You Say? glows with such a nice languid haze. While so much chill wave has started to get obnoxious and heavy handed, Part Time bring back a modesty and subtle touch to this style that we appreciate so much. Songs that make you sway with the slightest ease, and take you somewhere filled with soft lighting, mellow vibes, and washed out desire.
We're stoked to see a fairly priced lp on Mexican Summer too and this one is limited to 750 copies, hand numbered, and comes with a digital download. Don't sleep on this!
Back in 2006, we reviewed a record by a mysterious band (or person) called Part Timer. Whose sound was a gorgeous lush dreamfolk, overlaid with bits of glitch and electronic skitter. At the time, that sort of thing was all the rage, for a band to take their pedestrian folk or indie pop, and then cover it with electronic bits, to make it edgy or hip or whatever. But Part Timer seemed to effortlessly transcend that. Their sound organic, but with the various electronic elements an integral part of not just the sound, but the composition as well.
On a trip to Japan about a year ago, we took a long train ride through the countryside, up a mountain, to a monastery tucked way on top of a forest covered mountain. That record was the soundtrack, and it was perfect, the sound of green trees rushing past, little villages tucked into the mountain side, the movement of the train, the blue skies, the world rushing by, clouds, birds, the sound is just s soft and lovely and tranquil and beautiful.
We were super excited to discover that there was in fact another Part Timer record, which we finally managed to get from a tiny Japanese label, and we're happy to report, it's just as gorgeous as the other one.
Acoustic guitars weave tranquil little melodies, super spare rhythms are constructed from bits of glitch and record crackle, the sound of birds and children playing constantly in the background, like this is the soundtrack to some warm afternoon stroll though a tiny village, cobblestone streets, the world lush and verdant, bits of vocals surface here and there, offering the tiniest hint of melody, muted chiming bells ring out, simple melodies plucked out on old pianos, the sound of creaking machinery, moaning violins, sweeping strings, it sounds like a lot of sound, but the sound is never dense or cluttered, instead it's spacious and airy, nearly weightless at times, the sound of floating on a puffy white cloud through a crystal clear summer sky.
At its heart Blau is a simple soft folk record, but the folk drifts through strange landscapes of subtle sonic variation, the electronic bits never intrusive, gently complimenting the lilting guitars, the voices and textures and field recordings wrapped around the melodies like some soft down comforter, everything about Blau is tranquil and dreamlike, warm and so utterly soothing. Some of the prettiest pop folk we've ever heard.
We were never all that into garage rock legends the Oblivians, and we'd never even heard of The Ettes, but this Parting Gifts record has totally been kicking our asses, and had us wondering if maybe we should give the Oblivions another chance, and thinking we should most definitely check out the Ettes.
The Parting Gift is a collaboration between Oblivions mainman Greg Cartwright, and The Ettes frontwoman Coco Hames, and instead of sounding like In The Red style garage rock, it sounds like classic sixties pop, mixed with a little soul, and a little Misfits/Samhain punk popsmithery, in fact record opener "Keep Walkin'" sounds like it could most definitely have been a lost Misfits jam, here stripped down and made all jangly, rife with handclaps and pounding piano.
"Bound To Let Me Down" sounds more like the Fresh & Onlys' take on sixties pop, and it's the first time we hear Hames, who has a gorgeous and sassy voice and perfectly compliments Cartwright's gruff croon. The resulting jangle pop brew would sound right at home next to the recent Matthew Melton record, but where that record channeled old Who, The Parting Gifts take their influences from the Beatles and the Stones, in fact, they do a gorgeous version of the Stones' "Sleepy City", brooding and dark and moody with Hames vocals drifting gorgeously over the top.
Definitely a new favorite around here, and anyone into the current crop of girl group beholden garage pop combos like the Dum Dum Girls, the Vivian Girls, Girls At Dawn, and aren't averse to the idea of a little sixties boy pop with their sixties girl pop, might just want to check this out.
Partisan Gallery is a too little known gem in the local San Francisco arts scene despite having killer shows by Liz Harris (Grouper), Emily Prince, Lindsay White, Nate Boyce, and Sean McFarland, among many others. Located in proprietor Chris Fallon's Guerrero Street apartment, the exhibits he puts together take on the feel of social gatherings while at the same time allowing an artist to push more experimental ideas that wouldn't feel as interesting in a regular commercial space. The exhibitions often feature exciting musical performances or a specially created limited edition multiple.
Despite a limited zine Fallon created a couple of years back, this new magazine is the first in what is planned to be a quarterly publishing venture, and the first issue is quite stunning. Modelling the format on vintage artist-produced publications from the seventies like Aspen or Heresies, Partisan Vol. 1 features visual and written contributions from Margaret Tedesco, Devendra Banhart, Will Rogan, Marcella Faustini, Jennifer Locke, Renee Van Trier, Rob Spector of Bronze and Muscle Drum, Tauba Auerbach, and even a cameo by Andy Warhol.
Comes with a cd-r of music from Arp, Glasser, Water Borders, Van Rivers (Henrik Von Sivers of Fever Ray and Glasser), The Best Bits (Andy Cabic of Vetiver Thom Monahan and Zach Cowie), Lloyd Center Mall Trick Or Treat Band (Keegan McHargue), The Same (Jamie Reeder of Helado Negro and Tarantula), Words, Wav Dwgs and Muscle Drum, among others.
Beautifully printed in a tall 17" x 11" format in mostly black and white but with a middle section in full color. If you want to get a vibe of what's really happening art wise in San Francisco, this is a key introduction! Limited to 500 copies!
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We were thinkin' about Ms Dolly the other day, and how much we love her The Grass Is Green album and admire her spirit. Much like Charo, she's often described (or dismissed) as cartoonish and ahem, larger than life, but also much like Charo she's got indisputable chops. Hmmm, we will give the edge to Ms Dolly though 'cause she's got Dollywood! She just keeps kickin' butt year after year and keeps ya guessin'. Here she sings the oldies -- so many dear songs that we recall from our childhood! And she's invited the original singers to join her. A sweet, moving concept, lovingly realized.
This band is supposed to sound like a combination of My Bloody Valentine and Iron Maiden. Intriguing, no? But, while I can hear the MBV (the vocals), and the Maiden (it's not entirely hype; one track at least really does seem to cop some licks from Maiden circa "Killers"), there's also a more ordinary pop punk sound at play here. No offense meant, but the combo of MBV, Iron Maiden, and J-Church is a wee bit less intriguing than just the former two. Definitely ok emo-punk-whatever with some math rock slightly metallic leanings, for folks who find the Champs too hard and want somebody singing about something...is that too mean? This WAS enjoyable, but perhaps a little let down by their own hype.
With this, the post-rock pop band Party of Helicopters' third album, some of us here at AQ can be considered fans for sure, as we've gotten more and more into 'em over their last couple releases. The original hype line on 'em -- My Bloody Valentine meets Iron Maiden -- was just too good to be true, and the inevitable disappointment took its toll. But we must admit, there is a kernel of truth to that description... These Ohio boys play a sort of emo/punk/pop hybrid with twisty guitar lines, hints of classic metal riffing, noisy shoegazer textures, and Pixies-ish catchiness. Musically their powerful guitars are mathy and a bit metally, kinda like post-hardcore outits The Great Unravelling and Universal Order Of Armaggedon, but with different, higher, breathy, near falsetto vocals. Not higher in an '80s metal way, though, it's more like you could imagine the vocals emanating from a tiny, precious perfumed box with a sensitive boy singer inside. We're reminded a bit of some San Diego bands -- the pop vocal arrangements of Rob Crow's Heavy Vegetable with the muscle and sinew of Drive Like Jehu's guitars, and the complexity of both bands. Very cool.
The Party Of Helicopters bring you emo at its most intense. The first disc of their double whammy reminded me quite a bit of the awesome, early '90s Pacific Northwest group who called themselves Treepeople (Doug Martsch's band prior to Built To Spill). Blending aggressive, angstful male vocals with some pretty catchy, twisting guitar licks. The second disc offers up a trippy, ten minute long opening track with a wall of guitar washes that brings their occasional comparisons to My Bloody Valentine much more into focus. Layer upon layer of cyclical vocals over rounds of edgy, driving guitar riffs. An impressive sequel to their debut two years ago, Mt. Forever.
Uhh, is the name of the record label telling us sumthin'? Dunno, but one thing's for sure, the hyperactive, prolific gal Allison Wolfe just can't sit still. She's got so many musical projects past and present, it's hard to keep track of 'em all -- Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts, Deep Lust, Da Hawney Troof, and the list goes on! Not to mention that they're usually three-piecers. Her bands have all been dead set on raisin' the indie grrrrl roof. So it comes as no surprise that her latest outing Partyline continues to stir up a raucous garage rawk racket. Musicianship and finesse be damned! Such is the case with their debut EP Girls With Glasses and its half dozen super lo-fi, rudimentary bashed out on guitar, bass and drums tunes.
About a couple of years ago, a cd-r was dropped off here at Aquarius for consignment consideration. We liked what we heard and swiftly emailed the mysterious Pascal to bring us a bunch. Alas, there was no response. But just the other day, who should walk though our door? Pascal... with a completed cd in hand! Seems he wanted to make sure everything was just right. So at long last, we now have the elusive album in stock with a full digipak. The music is just as we recall - raw acoustic folk songs with reverb-y highly emotive vocals, ramshackle percussion, and strummy guitars. At times his top-of-his-lungs delivery is strikingly similar to that of AQ fave Jeff Mangum. To be frank, some customers and staffers even found the resemblance a bit unsettling. Nevertheless, Pascal has his own stories to tell/sing. Check out the lovely "You'll Pick My Name". Lend him your ear!
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The kids are going crazy for this band. Check it out and see if you believe the hype...
A big sticker on the shrinkwrap announces that this cd was produced by Kelley Stoltz! But keep in mind though that doesn't mean The Passionistas' music is gonna sound like Kelley's. Nope, their debut album God's Boat falls into the quirky indie rock barrel of monkeys that recalls late '80s early 90s college rock. Y'know, the kind that wore dress ties with t-shirts. We might even guess that the vocals were being sung by Brak (y'know, of Space Ghost Coast To Coast)! Is that a good or bad thing? You decide! The Passionistas' loopy, light-hearted playfulness also finds its way into the album artwork which features American flag killer whales and a kimono wearing band member (the other two members opted for the more traditional indie rock hoodie and torn jeans ensemble). Loose, laidback and chock full of nuts. 15 songs in all.
The Passionistas have been gaining some well deserved attention here in SF with their super catchy and colorful pop hooks, dipping their musical toes into both power pop and glam, providing the missing link between Big Star and Sparks. Speaking of Sparks, Hard Place open their side of this split with a very Sparks influenced and triumphant sounding pop nugget. There's a very early '80s larger-than-life, arena-ready aesthetic to their sound, yet it's delivered with such earnest spirit. We suspect there is some Van Halen, Andrew W.K. and maybe even a Jefferson Starship record in their collections. We lean a little towards The Passionistas on this split, but pop enthusiasts will find lots to like on both sides of this little piece of wax.
The beloved Scottish pop band gets the star remix treatment from My Bloody Valentine (who contribute 2 tracks), Stereolab, Mouse on Mars, Kid Loco, Cornelius, Third Eye Foundation, Make*Up, Jim O'Rourke, To Rococo Rot, John McEntire of Tortoise, etc. It's an uneven collection that's much more mellow and minimalist than we had anticipated for a tribute to such a rockin' twee group, but still good listening.
This is indeed a new Pastels album, but it's almost unrecognizably so! That might be due to the fact that it is a soundtrack for the film The Last Great Wilderness. Truly, most of the music here more closely resemble that of any number of jazzy post-rock, and yes, soundtrack-composing combos from Chicago. muted horns, delicate chimes, vocal sighs, subdued bass, plucked guitar notes. This is the case up until the sixth song. That's because the song in question is these earnest, lo-fi Scots' previously released cover of Sly And The Family Stone's "Everybody Is A Star" with dear Katrina singing ever so sweetly. The only other vocal song is the saucy closing number "I Picked A Flower" by The Nu Forest who are in fact the Pastels fronted by the fabulous Jarvis Cocker of Pulp in his ultra-swank croon mode. Film unseen, this does make for a lovely bliss-out listening experience though not necessarily a distinctly Pastels' one.
Scottish pop simply doesn't get much softer and twee. On this lil' EP they cover Some Velvet Sidewalk's "Boardwalkin", offer two versions of "Yoga" (one is the album version from Mobile Safari) and and additional track called "Winter Olympic Glory" which I found to be the highlight of this release. Dreamy!
If you're looking to get to dreamboat island there really is no better way than to go with the Pastels & Tenniscoats as your dreamy and breezy ship captains. We're not sure how Glasgow legends Pastels and Tokyo's Tenniscoats linked up but it makes complete perfect sense as they each have perfected soft and soothing twee escapades like no one else. Pastels have been around the block, beginning in the 1980's where they helped usher in a new refreshing sound that would influence folks across the globe and plant the seeds for labels like K records. Tenniscoats have been around for the last few years and ever since we heard their pastoral and blissful take on hushed pop we became big fans. Our love of them only increased when their singer Saya performed at an instore here at AQ with Satomi of Deerhoof in their side project OneOne. This is truly a collaborative effort with members from both bands playing on every track and vocals trade off quite nicely and equally between each group, but all together the sounds of each band mesh with each other so well and with such ease that nothing feels forced about the combination of these two groups. So perfect that the artwork inside features a picture of the groups together sitting on such lush green grass, as we always want to be laying in some scenic peaceful park starring into the sky when we hear the dreamy sounds these groups create. Dreamboat island, we have arrived!
First full length from these jangle pop Scots in a decade, and it's almost like not a single day has passed. Softly fuzzy and summery, all hushed, earnest, heartfelt, jangle pop, the sounds shimmery, and sun dappled, the tracks flute flecked and gorgeously soft focus, laced with the occasional horns, little bits of synth filigree here and there.
those futuristic synths seemingly the bands only concession to the modern musical world, maybe in part cuz this was recorded by Tortoise's John McEntire, which also probably accounts for the music sounding more lush and produced, the sonic palette much more varied, with the Pastels lo-fi twee pop now existing somewhere closer to the sound of Belle & Sebastien or the High Llamas, but the songs themselves are pure Pastels, as the the sweetly innocent boy / girl vocals, the rough hewn harmonies of old tightened up a bit, but still sweetly melancholy, and while fans who still have the group's untouchable Truckload Of Trouble compilation on heavy rotation, might be a bit put off by the group's bigger sound and all the horns and flutes and synths, the rest of you popkids can revel in the Pastels warm jangle pop dreaminess!
Time for Pastels fans to rejoice 'cause this wonderful compilation has been freshly repressed! Originally released back in 2007, Truckload Of Trouble collects a heap of these beloved Scottish popsters' singles which were released on Fire Records circa 1986 through 1993. Following on the heels of The Vaselines' Enter The Vaselines reissue, this is indeed a welcome resurfacing of another immensely influential UK indie twee band's music (as a matter of fact, The Vaselines' Eugene Kelly even joined The Pastels fold for a spell!). Sure, the playing chops and singing pitch of these early purveyors of lo-fi might've been somewhat rough-hewn and wobbly through the years, but their melodic hooks were consistently engaging, and their bittersweet lyrics utterly heartfelt. There was a delightful immediacy, an earnest yet wry humor and an abundance of puppy dog exuberance that always shone through. Theirs were the songs of cardigans and crushes which when strung together fashioned the sweetest, ramshackle, jingle-jangle twee pop daydreams! Their cover of Michael Nesmith's "Different Drum" is still one of Cup's favoritest songs for a rainy day. Other blithe standouts include the supremely singalong-able "Nothing To Be Done" and Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" later covered again by their early tourmates Yo La Tengo. You really can trace the sound of so many of our favorite bands back to the inspiration of The Pastels. From Belle & Sebastian, Henry's Dress, Black Tambourine, Camera Obscura, The Concretes, Sebadoh, Pavement, Seam, Jesus & Mary Chain, Dean Wareham (Luna, Galaxie 500, et al), Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, Tender Trap, et al) and on and on. Beyond the legendary impact their music has had, these songs still sound so damn great all these years later.
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Some heavy, mostly instrumental French prog-rock from '78, newly reissued. A generally spooky atmosphere with moments of prettiness, with influences ranging from jazz to classical to (of course!) fellow French jazz-classical progsters Magma... This reissue includes over thirty minutes of live material. Not up there with Magma, Heldon, or Shub Niggurath, but still some second-tier stuff worth checking out for fans of that genre/scene.
One of the saddest records ever made. Prime krautrock (from Austria), circa 1972, what goths would have listened too had there been goths back then. Complete with full-blown psychedelic guitar freakouts, coupled with somber church-like organ and a vocalist
Hew it strew it do it too/Say it slay it just to do/Try to call yourself on the phone/Surely you are not at home/Sweep the swept floor once again/Stab yourself and feel the pain/Then stand and watch the speed/Clean your eyeballs wash your feet/Listen and repeat'. Or from "Stop These Lines": 'Morning peace dusty air/Clean your teeth comb your hair/Dressed in clothes you always wear/Go to work I won't be there/Lunchtime snackbar eating chips/Ketchup's running down your lips/Deadeyed waiters selling bibs/Which you have to fix with clips/Sitting waiting find an end/Meaningless with no comment/Is this life in your own hand/People are like grains of sand/Pick up streets and pull down skylines/Ravish women blast the mines/Burn the whiskies spill the wines/Find beginnings stop these lines'.
A most melancholic, wonderful record, and it's too bad that it's the sort of thing usually relegated to the prog/psych collectors corner (y'know, because of the distribution and press that this sort of reissue gets). More people (people without ponytails and huge record collections) should get to hear this. So, even though it's not a really new reissue at all, we ordered a bunch to turn people on to. It's an odd, but excellent, hidden treasure!
Trashy retro-rock guitars back up former PeeChees vocalist and Lookout! Records' wheeler'n'dealer Chris Applegren's trademark bratty boy nasal howling. Live, they're a lively flailing rock'n'roll party, but on record they've yet to capture that energy.
In the year of the Strokes and the Vines and the Hives, here is our own local 'where the hell did they come from' wonders. They played the Reading festival, are huge in Europe and are on the lips of all in the hipster retro know. They have that 70's New York / Detroit sleaze rock sound, with the snotty vocals and the relatively rad guitar sound. Apparently influenced by Richard Hell, The Stooges etc. but with a soul flare. All veterans of rock, coming from the likes of The Peechees (vocalist Christopher), Talk Is Poison (drummer Jim), Saint James Infirmary (guitarist Jason), Nuisance (guitarist Andy) and The Cuts. Cool.
This, my friends, is a not a book, but a tome. Over 700 pages, collecting together almost every important piece of writing that appeared in Archie Patterson's Eurock 'zine during its existence from 1973 to 1990, and more. Eurock magazine was all about prog / psych / krautrock / space rock / electronic stuff (in later years, entering into New Age territory to be sure), not just from Europe actually but from around the world. The earlier material is particularily cool 'cause Eurock's coverage of bands like Amon Duul and Can is like reading a current magazine's stuff about Godspeed You Black Emperor! or Acid Mothers Temple...it puts things then and now into perspective. There's tons of obscure lore in here to uncover -- paging through at random I found articles about Ash Ra Tempel and Area, a piece on '70s Yugoslavian rock, a recent interview with Magma's Christian Vander, a review of a 1980 Rock In Opposition festival, and even an interview with our favorite '70s Italian prog band Osanna! In addition, as a special bonus, this book includes a seven-page appreciation of Amon Duul written in 1971 (for Creem magazine) by famous rock crit Lester Bangs, that I for one have always wanted to read. Basically, this book, I mean, tome, is highly recommended to all weird kraut / psych / prog music fiends!
NB: All of this and more (excepting some new pieces and the Bangs article), I believe, is also to be found on the still-available Eurock cd-rom production "Golden Age" that we reviewed on AQ list #105 -- but we have to say that the book format is far superior for reading and browsing, though of course it lacks the multi-media content etc. I'd pick this up a lot more often than I'd pop the cd-rom into my Mac.
As with most projects endowed with Mike Patton's presence (both past and present: Fantomas, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk, Lovage, Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, etc), the production on his latest solo release is absolutely stellar, but also unexpectedly playful and fun! Mondo Cane is a delirious romp through Italian pop music of decades long past. Of course, Patton's vocal acrobatics need no introduction - his ability to leap from silken dinner jacket croon to belching guttural aggression to high pitched histrionic extremities is well documented and arguably unrivalled by any contemporary artist. Here his pipes are in top form. Fluent in Italian, Patton effortlessly and gleefully leaps head first into Italo-pop of the '40s, '50s and '60s, making stops in suave lounge, bold operatics, orchestral opulence, and beyond. Our ears were particularly tickled pink by his rendition of "Deep Down" from Mario Bava's campy psychedelic thriller Danger Diabolik. Debonair, audacious, and wildly entertaining!
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After a couple of Trance Syndicate releases, Paul Newman (the band whose bassist's name is also Paul Newman) follows the humid instrumental post-rock done Texas style from Winsdor For The Derby or Bedhead.
We wasted much time rolling round the floor laughing at Cory Brown's Pavement 'review', that we thought we'd get some use out if it by reprinting here: "Well, there was this one Lollapalooza show we did, I think it was the middle of the tour, and Bob was getting out of control, as he tends to do. He just started going off, dancing crazily around the stage yelling 'Cacahuate!' Which means peanut in Mexican. Then he got pissed that the kids were moshing to 'Cut Your Hair' for, like, the umpteenth time, so he decided to moon the audience. Just then, some kid threw a tangerine at the stage and it got caught right between his cheeks. That was cool."
By the time we reached Pavement's Brighten The Corners, the band had ceased being a fucked up lo-fi noise drenched fractured pop underground phenom, and had transformed into something much more respectable. They embodied nineties college rock, they were most definitely indie rock darlings big time. But to be fair, with what sounded like a bid for commercial success, the band did manage to retain plenty of their snarky humor, and the hooks and catchiness that used to be buried under sheets of white noise or recorded from within a tin can on a dictaphone, are now on display for all to see, the sound lush and thick and polished and rocking and heck, it suits them. The opening one two punch of "Stereo" and "Shady Lane" is pretty tough to beat. "Stereo" with it's crunchy guitar, and goofy lyrics about Geddy Lee, and Shady Lane, with it's lilting sing songy main melody, and that super simple guitar line that is more catchy than you might thing at first. And a gorgeously, slightly atonal chorus seals the deal. Fuck it, by this time, we had made peace with the fact that the band would never make another Westing or Slanted, and all that was left to do was to luxuriate in Pavement's twisted crafty pop genius, and so we did. And so we are again. Pop music has definitely changed a lot in the last decade, so it's refreshing to hear this stuff again, and it's comforting to realize just how great it still sounds. The record proper is peppered with some weirdness, some fractured production, some strange druggy jams, some sung spoken Velvets style jams, but those are all part and parcel of Pavement's weird lovable pop universe.
As with past deluxe reissues. Brighten gets all the bells and whistles, a gorgeous digipak, housed in a fancy diecut slipcover, a HUGE booklet with essays and liner notes and track info and tons of photos, and of course, a shitload of B-sides and unreleased tracks, a whole extra disc in fact, including some BBC sessions, a Clean cover (!), some live tracks, live on the radio performances, the aforementioned multitude of B-sides and two versions of the Space Ghost Theme!!!
It's kind of sad when we hear stuff played to death, no matter how good it is, we find ourselves never wanting to hear it again. That's definitely the curse of commercial radio. I mean, can you imagine if you had never heard Led Zeppelin, or AC/DC or even "Freebird". How totally psyched you'd be. You would have your ass kicked on a daily basis. The same sort of thing happened with nineties indie rock. It was a time unmatched since, with band after band crafting perfect, clever jangly pop songs, but after a while, all it would have taken was hearing "Cut Your Hair" one more time to drive us into a psychotic rage. But given a little distance, and then given the chance to revisit arguably one of the finest moments in indie rock, one can't help but be blown away once again. Westing By Musket And Sextant may have been Pavement's experimental artrock masterpiece, and Slanted And Enchanted was THE ONE, the record that launched whatever you want to call it, indie rock, nineties college rock, slacker rock. But we all know that Crooked Rain was their finest moment. Where their sloppy chaotic need-to-annoy roots perfectly meshed with brilliant song writing, clever and witty lyrics and perect pop instrumentation. Lo-fi only in attitude, Crooked Rain was a solid 10. A perfect indie pop masterpiece. Shambolic and always on the verge of collapse but still so utterly without equal. No filler to be found. Or if there was filler, it was so good that you couldn't imagine the record without it. And then of course there was "Cut Your Hair", maybe the best indie rock song ever, with it's ridiculously catchy melody, ooh ooh vocals and snarky Stone Temple Pilots bashing lyrics.
So here we are ten years later and you know what? It's just as good as you remember. And the icing on the double cd reissue cake is nine single b-sides, two compilation tracks including Andee's favorite Pavement song ever "Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence", a sort-of heartfelt ode to R.E.M. featuring the unforgettably funny (but right on) refrain: "TIME AFTER TIME WAS MY LEAST FAVORITE SONG!!" and a whole frickin' disc of unreleased tracks recorded during the Crooked Rain sessions. Twenty one new (to us at least) tracks plus a Peel session (R.I.P. John Peel) from 1994.
So do yourself a favor and pick this up, and maybe also Guided By Voices' Bee Thousand and revisit indie rock's golden years and come to the somewhat shocking realisation, much like we did, that nothing has even come close since then.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Hey Stephen, do you remember when you didn't take your indie rock super stardom for granted? When you liked Beefheart? What the fuck happened? Why do you have to write such crappy adult contemporary rock songs now?
Is there really any need for a Pavement greatest hits? Maybe not. But listening to this again, we are definitely reminded of just how fucking great these guys were, and how incredible these songs are. Most of us have all their records and thus all these songs, but for the uninitiated, we really can't imagine how blown away someone would be hearing all these songs for the first time AT ONCE. Probably be too much. So many stone cold indie rock classics, even the weaker tracks are still miles above most other indie rock. And the gems, the 'hits', still untouchable.
Songs spanning the groups entire career, including some compilation tracks including what might be our favorite Pavement track ever, "Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence", from the No Alternative comp, a fractured, gnarled weirdo pop gem, with plenty of that Pavement style namedropping, mostly about R.E.M., featuring a classic sort-of-chorus: a howled "'Time After Time' was my least favorite song", and a totally tripped out buzzing synth, clattery, spoken word outro. Plus there's "Summer Babe", still the defining Pavement jam for most of us. As is "Trigger Cut". And of course there's "Cut Your Hair" and "Range Life" and well, we could go on and on...
Needless to say, if you were just looking for a killer Pavement mixtape, then this will totally hit the spot, and if you've somehow never heard Pavement, or only heard one or two of their later records, then hell, this should definitely set you straight, and while it might be unnecessary, we can tell you that around here we've been playing the shit out of this, which pretty much says it all.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
As much as I've whined and moaned about Pavement's last few albums being, in my opinion, less than wonderful, no one can dispute the fact that Slanted & Enchanted is one fucking great record. If you have never heard Pavement's full length debut, stop reading right now. Just buy it. It's like the zenith of indie rock. It could be the only indie rock record you own and you would still have the best of the genre. (And if you disagree, my friend Andee will beat you up.) The songs are so satisfyingly melodic yet delivered all fractured and suffused with a lackadaisical sort of ironic stance. Which was at one point cool, remember?
Anyway, what we have here is a deluxe double disc reissue for the price of a single disc. In addition to the entire Slanted & Enchanted album, you get: several tracks from the Slanted session, a John Peel octet of tunes, the Watery Domestic ep, tracks from the Watery session, and an entire live show! A total of 48 tracks, 23 of which are previously unreleased.
The accompanying booklet is full of juicy tidbits from Matador label guys Chris Lombard and Gerard Cosloy, Drag City founder Dan Koretzky (both labels wanted to release it), their booker, and the band itself. So essential.
