Water, Keep On Falling...

Well, back from another trip to the Bay which included a much needed trip to Amoeba after months of being to lazy to go to the one in H-Wood while it was still open...

While in their home town, I was looking for any Viva Saturn, but to no avail. While checking the Rain Parade section, though, I was pleasantly surprised. First, I saw that for the first time ever Crashing Dream was available on CD, but I also found this one for the first time on any format.

Here is a posthumous compilation of Rain Parade's finest odds and ends. Mostly demos, it's a great look into their later work for the Emergency Third Rail Power Trip purist, as the stylistically similar album art should imply. The first ten tracks show the band in preparation for Crashing Dream before Island records cleaned up their sound a bit. Personally, I think most of the album version are better, but these are worth hearing, even if you agree with me. Though, perhaps this could only be said about such standouts as "Mystic Green," as this collection's version of "Gone West," despite its invasive synthesizer is better than the proper album's. Additionally, this includes two tracks (including a title number) from that album which, at least in this context, stand up to the others.

The last nine tracks of this collection are the only available examples of Rain Parade's last days and the unsurprising change of pace. Here the band's final sound was one much darker and indeed for the most part heavier than any previous phase. While at times they remain slow and more comparable than ever to David Roback's post-Rain Parade project Opal, even more are rockier than one would have previously though possible, with the live "Got the Fear" sounding a bit like early Built to Spill. However, this should not be a surprise considering how much Rain Parade's Paisely peers had changed by this point (1987), and these rough demos are better than anything The Bangles or The Three O'Clock released that year.


Rain Parade - Demolition (1991)

What's Going On and What Will Be

Sorry I've been away for a while - I have recently moved from Venice (sort of) back to Westchester and was, as a result, without home internet for a while.

Anyway, back to beeswax... Of all the great artists to bring 60s-influenced psychedelia back in the 80s none was as into the 60s Swinging London look and sound as Milwaukee's Plasticland.

I am not totally sure what that Great Lakes region city was like at the time, but it may have had a burgeoning scene along with the Violent Femmes, who I believe had some loose connections to the band. If anyone can enlighten me and out other readers on that topic, it would be appreciated. Regardless of how big it may have been it is not remembered as widely as Hoboken, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston or other indie rock hotbeds of the time. Plasticland was no better known in the national scene though and their first self-titled album was actually released initially only on a French label. It is too bad though as their hard acid sound would have found an audience with fans of Paisley Underground or, perhaps even more so those misfit early Flaming Lips.

This album is one so in touch with the sixties that it could have only come out of the eighties that and the punk rock influence that only is apparent in the group's energy and short song lengths. Likewise, it is a bit prescient of groups like Mudhoney's use of 60s-style feedback - especially when coupled with Glenn Rehse's voice which is not too different from that of Mark Arm's. The album is structured well and from the ass-kicking opener "Alexander" it would be hard to switch to something else afterward. "Her Decay" is another particular standout and was the first I heard of the band from listening to "Jet Fighter" Radio on Pandora. Needless to say this is perfect for fans of not only 60s psych, but any kind of 80s sixties revival style, be it acid rock, garage, or even jangle pop.


Plasticland - Plasticland (1985)

Just Like Life, There's a Good Beginning, But There Is No Middle, So You Might as Well Skip to the End

I can't believe it toook me so long to hear classic Television Personalities. I was pretty up on things when My Dark Places was released a few years ago and knew and loved "Part Time Punks", but I did not really hear this gem until a few months ago at the home of my friends in the Brooklyn band Pow Wow!

The Television Personalities were Joe Strummer's favorite band. He said that they represented, to him, what punk rock was all about. Though, in many ways they are more "indie-pop" than punk, but hey, what does all that mean anyway?

The guitars are jangly, the structure is pop, and the lyrics are playfully dark and perversely innocent... if that makes sense? Either way it's one hell of a record. It has a few less pop culture references than their earlier work, but a little more high culture to keep it full of allusions. However, what may be this album's greatest strength is how well it captures the mind of a teenage boy. Not in some dumbed-down kind of mook way, nor over-dramatic and emo. Jsut real, sincere, and deep, yet naïve. Opener "This Angry Silence" captures that voice amid a tempestuous home life while the discomfortingly simple lyrics of "La Grande Illusion" show the darker side to perhaps the same situation as "Silly Girl." "The Glittering Prizes" is one of the best songs and captures the feeling of malaise with nothing both the future to daydream about and "Geoffrey Ingram" is the "David Watts" of the punk era. Changing to a third person look at essentially the same thing is perhaps the album's best track "World of Pauline Lewis," with a refrain that cuts to the bone. This is essential pop as only an original UK punk band could do it.


Television Personalities - ...And Don't The Kids Just Love It (1981)

Over, and Over, and Over I'm Really Not Ready At All

Sorry It's been so long. Been feeling uninspired. However, I've been on a big post-punk kick. Specifically the branch of first-wave UK punk rock that really set the stage for "indie pop."

The Mekons have had one unique career and their legions of extremely dedicated fans and their highly unusual path from post-punk to more straightforward punk certainly prove this.

Often considered their masterpiece, this album is one of the first to be called "alt-country" - quite a feat for a British band. One member tells that prior to making this album he had been listening heavily to classic country and after a certain point the three chords of punk and the three chords of country became the same three chords. This album's sound is surely the result of that, and the addition to fiddle to the roster makes it even more prominent. This is not to say the punk has not been lost, particularly in the shambolic "Hard To Be Human Again." That song is the perfect gateway for the punk fan that will leaves them wanting more of this countrified mess.

Fear And Whiskey is also one of the great post-punk concept albums with the likes of Hüsker Dü's best works. The story here is one of a city in a somewhat post-apocalyptic world fighting a war (brought hauntingly to life in "Trouble Down South") and struggling to hold on to everything that makes life worth living: love, culture, community, and of course a good party. With that in mind, opening track "Chivalry," is the perfect intro as the ultimate anthem to a drunken, embarrassing night coupled with a hint of the depth that will follow on the rest of the record. "Country," perhaps the album's best sums up the album's whole concept as the lose souls of this city hold on.

People always make once-relevant political connections with this record about the Thatcher/Regan era. Honestly I don't hear it all that much, but that may just be because I neither really lived through that era, nor consider myself a liberal. So, if you see it that way,, great. You are probably all the more enlightened.


The Mekons - Fear and Whiskey (1985)

plus, for good measure, here's a classic early single.


The Mekons - "Where Were You?"

Well, If I Get Drunk, Well That's Alright, If I Sleep On the Floor All Night

It's hard to believe those lyrics are the Verlaines, but it's a good reminder that even Graeme Downes is in fact one of us, if you know what I mean.

Here are their humble beginnings - before big arrangements and production, and even deep lyrics, but still the same great band. One of Flying Nun's first records, the Dunedin Double EPwas a lo-fi, creative format (2 45 RPM EPs) spotlighting the burgeoning talent of locals the CHiLLs, Sneaky Feelings, the Stones, and the Verlaines. Allof them were off to a great start. The CHiLLs tracks were wonderfully transferred onto the Kaleidoscope World LP, but unfortuantely the others were not put on similar compilations. The three songs Downes and company contribute are all great, and despite their many rough qiualities hint at the majesty of their later career. The similarities between "Crisis After Crisis" and their greatest all-time track "C.D.,Jimmy Jazz, and Me" are inmistakeable, proving this band always had it. I include only the Verlaines tracks because, I can't stand the way you need to file compilations to get them all up here together. The rest later?


The Verlaines - Dunedin Double EP (1982) (Side 4)

Hopefully I'll see you Angelinos this weekend!

Flowers Will Spring From Every Grave

While Rain Parade's final album may not be another Emergency Third Rail Power Trip it is no embarrassment. I picked this up for a mere $2.99 (vinyl) just this weekend at Sound Sations in Westchester and was pleasantly surprised.

I hear it may have never been released on CD, which made it surprising that, even while released on Island it was so cheap (I had never seen a copy before). The most noticeable difference between this and the group's previous work is not the absence of David Roback, which in truth did not make that much difference even on Explosions in the Glass Palace, but the slicker production. It is a big change, but not one that ruins anything. In fact, I believe this album could ahve had some hits if released about seven to ten years later (rare thing to say about anything Paisley Underground). Matt Piucci and Stephen Roback's songwriting chops may have been even stronger than ever at this point, and their vocals are as great as ever. While radically different, "Don't Feel Bad" and "Fertile Crescent" - both sung by Roback, are as great as a lot of the group's stellar debut. The band plays tighter as well, which sounds great, even when compared to their previous loose sound, and it is much easier to know that they have a keyboad player than ever before. "Mystic Green" and "My Secret Country" are some great tracks as well, and this album is overall quite as enjoyable. It is ideal for anyone who thought that Rain Parade could get a little too drony on previous albums. For the others, it may be a challenge to get through the synthy intro of "Depending on You," but if you can you will be surprised at how far from grace the band fell (not far at all). Rain Parade started great and ended great, as far as I am concerned, that is not arguable.


Rain Parade - Crashing Dream (1986)

All We Wanted to Do Was Eat Cucumber Sandwiches

This is where Robyn Hitchcock's long an remarkable career begins. While it is not one of his best, especially when compared to the Soft Boys' masterpiece follow-up, it is still essential for any fan, and has an amazing cover.

This can be pretty hard to track down, unfortunately, and has been out of print in this country for god knows how long. The Boys really are beginning to get their sound together here, particularly in Hitchcock and Kiberly Rew's dynamic guitar interplay. Their place in the punk movement is much more evident here than on Underwater Moonlight, as is the diverese roster of influences far beyond the sixties psych-pop and postpunk most evident on the follow-up. Regardless of retrospective comparison, this is a pretty solid album, especially at the beginning. "Give it to the Soft Boys" is a great theme song for such a unique (especially in their time and place) group. "Pigworker" is like a real, though no less humorous version of Spinal Tap's "Sex Farm," and a whole five years earlier. "Human Music"'s slowed-down melody forshadows some of Kitchcock's prettier moments in later solo/Egyptians work, while "Sandra's Her Brain Out," may have the quintessential Hitchcock title and lyrics. In many ways this is the ultimate Hitchcock testament as it set the stage for the next thirty years (and probably the rest of his career) in every imaginable way.

Though there are few artists hailing from Cambridge, the Soft Boys are one of the best examples. Hitchcock's voice is enough to carry that city's own tradition and that in addition to his music continues the tradition of Syd Barret, the man who gave the place its original Rock 'n' Roll voice.

I understand there is a deluxe, bonus-tracks version of this album, but I have never seen it in any format... yet.


The Soft Boys - A Can of Bees (1979)

Blasting Off To Jimmy's House!

All great things start somewhere. The greatest thing in Rock 'n' Roll started right here in 1987.

Well, maybe not since Guided by Voices did release an EP, Forever Since Breakfast prior, but this is the first whole album. Pollard started off his prolific career with a series of scarcely available (essential you had to know the band personally) albums, most of which are quite good - though obviously not up to the transcendent beauty of the later work. This really is a noble debut despite that Pollard and cohorts had not yet found their exact voice and at times the songs are noticeably (to the untrained ear) a little derivative. R.E.M. in particular is an undeniable influence, especially on the albums two best cuts "Hey, Hey, Spaceman," in which Pollard's vocals are unusually Stipe-esque and the DIY anthem of "Hank's Little Fingers." The whole album really does forshadow the band's whole career with exellence in songwriting and eccentricities such as the remarkably short lengths and stylistic splicing. Unlike some other early albums, this one even got some presence on the career-spanning best of with closer "Captain's Dead." Pollard's exploration into a more diverse oeuvre is even evident in the epic "Portrait Destroyed by Fire" and instrumental "Crux." The Lo-Fi art was only in its nascent stages here perhaps due to Tobin Sprout's temporary absence (he was living in Florida, but had already passed through the ranks), but considering the commonality of cheap recording by the time this was made widely available, that is negligible.

Do not be put off by the band's obscurity at the time of its release - this is just as worthy as any other GbV album and has enough classics to keep it in rotation. It is available only as part of Box. The question "What keeps Big Daddy happy?" is in reference to Jimmy Pollard's pet rooster on the cover (great story about the photo). It is the same line from "Don't Stop Now."


Guided By Voices - Devil Between My Toes (1987)

God In Heaven, Won't You Help Us, Please

The most surprising thing that I ever heard about Emitt Rhodes was that this very album was EVERYWHERE at one point in time. Of course, the guy telling me this may have just been being a jerk as he charged me something like $15-20 for a not-quite-spectacular condition at Cheapo Records in Cambridge. However, considering the four years I had spent absorbing this rare masterpiece I hold no regrets on that purchase.

This album is often described as what Paul McCartney's solo records should have sounded like - I would agree, despite no negative feelings about many of his solo albums. There is a definite specifically McCartney Beatles vibe here and if you have a problem with McCartney even within the Beatles you really have to leave... obviously. This is the perfect pop album of its time, as it should be considering Rhodes' pedigree with L.A. pop group Merry-Go-Round (whose influence is heard directly on The Bangles) he splices the major influences of UK and Los Angeles guitar pop of the era here. What is extra cool is that Rhodes played and "produced" everything on here on a four-track, placing him among the likes of early one-man bands as Todd Trundgren, R. Stevie Moore, and yes, McCartney himself.

It is a true shame that these days the only people that know Rhodes are the geekiest of music lovers and die-hard Wes Anderson fans (myself both), whose The Royal Tenenbaums featured the short "Lullabye" (as per recomendation of Jason Schwartzman!?). The rest of the songs are of that quality, in particular "Promises I've Made" and the one-two punh of "With My Face On The Floor" and "Somebody Made For Me," so be sure to pick this up becasue it's either here or a long, expensive search... or another blog, I'm sure. Essential for fans of Big Star, The Beatles, and the Yelllow Pills series.


Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (1970)

Little I Need to Know and Little I Need to Find

The Bats are one of my absolute favorite bands and this record is, likewise, one of my all-time favorites.

It is pop perfection in every way by a band just as perfect. The songwriting is tight, the playing is tight, and the way every member works together is unparalleled. This is best seen in the vocals harmonies of guitarists Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward, who on their own are not remarkable vocalists but work together so well it is transcendent. Additionally, Paul Kean is one of my favorite bassists and his lyrical style really fits with the Bats' freewheeling sound, perhaps even more so than it did in his Toy Love days. However, instrumentally the album' secret weapon is Alastair Gilbraith (of the Rip) whose often-multi-tracked violin parts have a way of seeping into your brain and allowing the pure pop to shine though. This diverse geling is no more evident than on the opening track "Treason," which I would argue as the greatest pop song of all time - though it is surely up for debate.

Like anyone else from the Flying Nun roster, the Bats' influence on 90s US indie rock is unmissable - just check out the melancholy "Tragedy" for a large portion of Yo La Tengo's work. The record may not move beyond the realm of jangly pop, but why should it? It runs the gamut in terms of mood which the Bats really have a talent of expressing. It spans all the way from the happy-go-lucky tone of "Round and Down" to the dark and forboding "North By North" (the theme to Australian TV series The Hollow Men).

Also included are some early tracks (the magnificent "Trouble in This Town" through the classic "Made Up In Blue" which are as strong as the subsequent album. Also, it should be noted the Bats are still around putting out quality music, so all the more reason to check them out at their peak!


The Bats - Daddy's Highway (1987)

I'm From Brisbane and I'm Quite Plain

The Late Grant McLellan and Robert Forster, looking unusually foppish.

Perhaps the one good thing about music in this decade has been the return of a lot of classic artists of the 70s and 80s. The Go-Betweens were one such band and their final album is one of the best. Released in 2005 this was an unexpected final masterpiece due to McLellan's unexpected death by heart attack three years ago at the age of 48.

There is a noticeable maturity to the already precocious band, which at that point only featured the original duo of McLellan and Forster from the classic lineup. That said, it's clearly the same artists and the classic sound is intact - at least that of the later, and often considered best, period. Both songwriters are in top form, but despite highlights like the opner "Here Comes A City," McLellan really dominates. His composition "Finding You" stands amongst "Cattle & Cane" and "Streets of Your Town," as one of his absolute finest and "Boundary Rider" was in fact the song that turned me into a Go-Betweens fan. His death was a true tragedy, but at least McLellan left on a very high note.


The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart (2005)

Also, here is the first single the band about the original The Omen starlet. It is very rare, very good, and a great way to bookend this amazing band's career. Also, it is from where this article's title comes.

The Go-Betweens - "Lee Remick" (1978)

Stop For A While

As I wrote over a year ago, the Feelies are the greatest gift New Jersey has given to music. Since that article I even got the privilege of seeing them with Yo La Tengo in Montclair, so I thought I should give credit to a large part of what made that show one of the best I have ever seen.

Coming out a whole eight years after the group's fantastic debut Crazy Rhythms this album shows the band catching up with their many followers like R.E.M. (whose Peter Buck lended a hand in production), Rain Parade, and many more. The opening two tracks, "On the Roof" and "The High Road" were the same that opened their set, and while I was hoping for "The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness" to commence a more contemplative set, this choice was perfection. The band set the stage for a truly "groovy" show. These songs, like this whole album gives the effect of the Grateful Dead to the indie rock/jangle popper. It is a bit of a change of pace, being more straightforward than the debut, but is no less interesting and the beat that kicks it off keeps in their brilliant percussive tradition. This is a great album to chill-out to, the perfect persciption for someone looking for hippie vibes without all those damned hippies!

Glenn Mercer and Bill Million's chemistry is as alway spot-on and their songwriting is as tight as their guitar dynamics that still resonate with the same passion as their nerd-clad holiday shows at Maxwell's. Luckily the new cast of supporting players is as strong (I would argue even stronger) than their Crazy Rhythms cohorts. Some people may overlook the Feelies' 80s and 90s works, but if you as me, all their records are essential and I can assure you their skills have not waned. When I saw them they debut some all new songs that stood up to the rest of the career-spanning set. Expect even more greatness for this band in the future.


The Feelies - The Good Earth (1986)

More to Seattle Than You Think

I'd been wanting to put up the Fastbacks for a while. They came to mind again last night as I was consulting an old book of mine last night and noticed a top 10 records from the group's leader/songwriter Kurt Bloch that included The Three O'Clock's Sixteen Tambourines - one of the few mentions of that group in the book. Another interesting fact about the Fastbacks, perhaps the one that finally got me to hear them, is that Duff McKagan of Guns 'N' Roses was one of the many to pass through the group's revolving door of drummers.

It is some fast-paced punky pop, perhaps "pop-punk," as maligned as that style has become. Bloch as a great songwriter and really allows the female vocals to shine through, watching his own creation succeed. He rocks out as well and has just as many connections to the world of metal (well beyond the McKagan association) as to indie pop (including producing Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 in his home studio). Most tracks are quite short and very infectious, particularly opener "Under The Old Lightbulb" and "Bill Challenger," but longer tracks like the opener "Believe Me Never" do not get boring either.

This is a prime example of the pre-grunge Seattle music scene, despite it's post-explosion release date, this was one of the bands that really got that city ready for the prolific (though only arguably great) scene that grew in Washington's fertile ground.


The Fastbacks - Zücker (1993)

Selling Out Never Sounded So Good!

...but that is to admit that this album actually is a sell-out. Robert Pollards collaboration with Ric Ocasek actually works. Yeah, it's a more over-the-top sound than ever before - but GbV was always sort of over-the-top, right?

It's cleaner and there's a little more multi-tracking than usual, and a lot more keyboards, but it succeeds. Some may complain about how the band did not really do anything new, but who cares? It's Guided by Voices, arguably at their peak. I can see how it may have been off-putting in 1999, but knowing their improved-quality records of the present decade it does not seem out of place. Additionally, this album is the first of the true new loose incarnation of the lineup after the "Guided by Verde" era. In every way, really the band is not waning, despite some filler tracks. The big sound of "Teenage FBI," "Things I Will Keep," and "Wrecking Now" are some of their best songs. With 16 tracks there is no shortage of classics - even the much maligned "Hold On Hope," which was featured on Scrubs (not just any episode, but one featuring Brendan Fraser) is a great one despite what may be said in Hunting Accidents. The album also includes many songs on die-hard Official Iron Man Stephen Soderbergh's top tracks. Ocasek's production really lends to what could be added to GbV's sound and a lot of it reccurs in subsequent albums and Pollard's better solo work.

Bottom line: Despite what you may have heard about this record, it is great, and I think, perhaps a decent starting point for Guided By Voices.


Guided by Voices - Do The Collapse (1999)

You Sure Know How To Make Things Hard

I thought I should put this up as it in quite hard to find (I've never seen it on CD, even at the absurd price at which I have seen Kaleidoscope World and Submarine Bells), but I somehow did. While it's not the CHiLLs' best, it is their debut and like all their records has its own sound that no fan of kiwi-pop should miss. Produced by Mayo Thomas, it has an atmospheric psychedelic sound in a way that is quite different from the follow-up album. The keys are mixed low in a very effective way and the most lovable things on this album are the same things to love about other CHiLLs releases. Plus, only a kiwi-pop album could have a record cover like this one (I hear the members are spelling out "COLD" (Flying Nun's code) in nautical language.)

I don't have the pride of my record collection (this LP) in hand right now so I won't distinguish original tracks from bonus tracks which are mixed in on the side, tastefully distinguishing the two original sides. The opening track "Push" is beautiful and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. "Rain," the next track keeps the energy up and is one of the catchiest songs and perhaps the best use of falsetto I have heard in rock music. The last three tracks are some of the best as well leaving you to want to jsut hear more and more CHiLLs and luckily their other stuff gets better from there. There are plenty of great tracks int he middle though, most notably "Party in My Heart," which you may think of when partying until you realize it is definitely not that much fun... lyrically.


The CHiLLs - Brave Words (1986)

You Don't Need a Lover, You Need An Interpreter

Typically, when people talk about Camper Van Beethoven, they talk about the first and last records. I, however will mostly talk about the first two.

This album, originally intended to be two separate ones, as the title would suggest, really stands up to Telephone Free Landslide Victory and surpasses everything else the band made. It is a shame that this one is not spun around as much, and I owe it all too the short-lived Bernardsville, New Jersey record store Spin City which was open only during the summer of 2003. There, the owner had just acquired a first pressing of this, played it for me, and a week or so later decided to sell it. For a long time it was the top pride of my LP collection, and really deserves that honor. This, however is from the CD, which is a shame because one of the best tracks (arguably first as the LP lists the sides as "B" and "II") "(We're A) Bad Trip" is an inferior, yet more up-tempo version than on the vinyl. It should also be noted that this version is from the boxed set, so the track listing is different from the separate CD, but other than the previously mentioned track, is identical to the LP.

The record really picks up where the last one left off, which cannot really be said about the rest of the band's discography. Even more than on the previous album, though the instrumentals stand out the most and verge on psychedelia and further integration of disparate genre/styles as country, gypsy music, ska, raga, and southern rock. Some of the best examples of this are "Circles," "Abundance," the gorgeous "Dustpan," and the brilliantly-titled "ZZ Top Goes to Egypt." Like the previous album's re-envisioning of Black Flag, Camper pulls out another amazing cover, like Mudhoney, they outdo Sonic Youth in their own game on "I Love Her All The Time," transforming it into a delightful East-meets-West romp. David Lowery's unique sense of humor remains intact and the lyrics do not disappoint, though I admit are not quite up to par with the likes of "The Day Lassie Went To The Moon" and "Where The Hell Is Bill?" with the possible exception of "Goleta," an ode disparaging the Southern coastal Universities of California - perhaps an attempt for a local anthem for Santa Cruz.

Either way, there is nothing like this and if you like Telephone Free Landslide Victory this is incredibly essential and will not disappoint.


Camper Van Beethoven - II & III (1986)

Be Thankful Every Day

We all know that Robert Pollard is the god of Rock 'n' Roll. No person has understood what it's all about and is the second most prolific songwriter in the genre after R. Stevie Moore. Admittedly, he has not lived up to the work he has done with GbV as a solo artist, but this record is the closest he has come to it. That's a lot to say considering this is a double LP (one CD, but whatever, dead format.). Also, this is the first thing he put out after the demise of the greatest band of all time.

Synths are more prevalent than on any GbV release making his New Wave/postpunk and prog influences more apparent than ever. The lyrics never falter and stand up to the stuff he was writing even on Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. The biggest difference is the song lengths. There is nothing like "Cigarette Tricks" on here with no song clocking in at under one minute. More epics. It is clear that Pollard's songwriter has gotten to the transcendent level here. He is re-inventing song structure rather than simply mastering it. He produces swirling arrangements that slowly build and build while going through complex changes, ultimately building to an orgasmic peak. This kind of structure is possible only with the unworldly understand of rock music that Pollard has. What comes to mind is Built to Spill's Keep It Like A Secret which showed that you could be epic in a mere four minutes. Pollard can get a bona fide epic into a mere 2 1/2 minutes. Any GbV fan would know he is capable of that and here it is. The best tracks are "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men." "U.S. Mustard Company," and "Light Show," but let's be serious here, this is Bob Pollard.

I think comedic genius and former member of Superchunk Jon Wurster plays on this, but I am not sure.

For strong lions only.


Robert Pollard - From a Compound Eye (2006)

Here's some pics I took when I saw Bob with Boston Spaceships here (in Boston) at the Paradise Rock Club this fall with my buds Alex Halatsis and Brock Ginther. Needless to say that was a great show. I still have the empty bottle of Miller Lite that Pollard handed me during the all-GbV encore. I also got a swig or two of his tequila.:


Bob in top form


The Keene Brothers as they are known.

I have more, but why overload? That night Pollard put it all best when he said, "This is how you have a great rock band - you gotta be drunk and tight! It's really hard. Drunk and tight. Now I'm not advocating the abuse of alcohol...

...but yes I am!"

If This Were In "17 Again" Not Only Would I See It, I Would Swear By It

Just this afternoon my friend Sheldon linked me to this.


I highly recommend that everyone check out this blog and download the Toms. It is very reminiscent of Todd Rundgren and Emitt Rhodes and like them is a one-man band as well.

I am pretty sure he is from New Jersey as he as collaborated and recorded with Richie Sambora and the Smithereens recorded at his studeio, and we all know that matters a lot to me here at The Monument. It's is pre-digital home recording, and that's really all that matters, right?

This title, is in reference to the song "(I Wanna Be A) Teen Again," just one of the amazing cuts.

Excuse Me, Is This The Age of Reason?

All the great American rock artists of the 80s can agree that the most powerful thing about that time and place was the number of amazing bands that dotted the whole country, even in the most remote areas. The Embarrassment was one of these bands, and one of the few I've been listening to lately outside of NZ and LA). The quartet hailed from Wichita, Kansas and played what they called "blister pop." Apparently, other people called it "punk" - most likely mainly people from Kansas. While their unashamedly nerdy look may bring to mind the Feelies, the Embos had one of the most unique voices in rock at the time with lyrics that ranged from snide and sarcastic to innocent and sincere all delivered with a playful, Midwestern sense of humor.

As nerdy as they looked, the boys were pretty hip as anyone who has been to a hipster gathering could tell immediately in a song like "Celebrity Art Party." The raunchy "Sex Drive" and sweet-natured "Wellsville" (which I would bet gave the setting of The Adventures of Pete & Pete its name) demonstrate the band's great plains roots. The almost cruel ode to Bewitched star "Elizabeth Montgomery's Face" and epic "Lewis and Clark" evoke the kind of boyhood fantasies/fascinations hardly visible in underground rock music done to perfection. The first disc really is the star of the show, covering the groups original singles and EPs. The second disc, while strong yet very outtake-y has it's gems such as the song that really get me into the band "Sexy Singer Girl."

After teh band's original breakup half of the band relocated to Boston, which beleive it or not at one time had a few redemptive qualities (i.e. music scene) with guitarist Bill Goffier froming Big Dipper and drummer Brent Giessman joining the Del Fuegos. The other two, I presume sttayed in Wichita until the band reunited. I do not know if they did anything significant there.


The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83

Here are some sweet videos as well:



thre's more where the second one came from...

Sleeping in My Dreams, Dreaming on my Feet

The further the discussion of Los Angeles' Paisley Underground, here is another great piece of 80's psychedelia.


Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the Glass Palace (1983-4)

The gorgeous album art is an indicator for the sound and mood that you will hear on the record. It very floaty and psychedelic, at time almost like an American version of shoegaze. However, it does have some extremely strong songwriting on it.

Rain Parade is also significant for being David Roback's first significant group. He left after Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and went on to form Opal with The Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith and later Mazzy Star. However, Rain Parade was a truly collaborative band and Roback's contributions are equaled by his brother, bassist Steven, and other guitarist Matt Piucci. This becomes clear as many of these songs are more pop-based than his later work. The sound is extremely well-grounded in the sixties, but still adds enough to make it not only fresh in 1983 but even today. The influence of the Byrds, in particular, is undeniable, especially on the album's catchiest track "What's She Done to Your Mind." This album is true psychedelic rock and is best suited for colorfully low-lit rooms while on drugs. Tracks like "I Look Around" evoke the same kind of drugged-out bliss as the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while "Talking in My Sleep" captures a dazed life that may or may not be the result of drugs.

Also included is the Explosions in the Glass Palace EP, which is still an essential work and (supposedly) the band's last worthy release. It does, in fact almost stand up to the LP, especially on the Beatles-esque "Prisoners". In between the records is the track "Look Both Ways," as well.

Here's a video which features a brief interview with Matt Piucci and Steven Roback on music and the Paisley Underground followed by a performance of "No Easy Way Down," one of Explosions' dronier tunes.