The Revynilization Project: Screening Records for Lu

I just received some records recently, realizing that they all represent my preference almost exclusively for mid-90's indie rock. What better opportunity is there to introduce music to Lucia than to play some of the best records and artists from the era? Besides, I've neglected my music fan base and this feature in particular.

Last Splash - The Breeders

















Music
This album still stands out from anything in the 90's or even this decade. Kim Deal put together her best line-up for this classic relic from the grunge era. Maybe they weren't the most talented group (I still don't know how Kelley passed as a guitar player.), but they were tight. This has to be one of the best and most unique albums of the past 20 years. It still holds up today.

Insert
For once, an LP insert doesn't measure up its CD counterpart. The artwork found in the original CD was contained in a booklet. It's as if the design was more geared toward a jewel case than a record sleeve. It's sort of a letdown to say the least as the cool, brightly colored photos of the band found in the original packaging are now relegated to sharing space on the inner sleeve.

Sleeve
Where the insert fails, the sleeve succeeds. The colors on the cover photo just pop. The red, black, and green just scream at you to stare as the record spins. Additionally, the back features the black-and-white photo of the band in a convertible as if waving in a parade. This was certainly the size in which these pieces were intended to be viewed.

Extras
None. Well, unless you consider the months and months I waited for some lawyers to argue how this thing should be re-released. Either way, extras or not, it was worth the wait.

Record
180 gram vinyl is nothing to scoff at. The sound is great. As the cover art was meant for an LP sleeve, Last Splash was destined to be heard this way.

whY?
Rarely is there ever an album recorded in an era of loud, aggressive men that not only challenges the sounds and aesthetics of the time but also the gender politics the way Last Splash did for me. If you have a daughter who wants to rock, buy this record. I do and did.

The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips

















Music
Before the Lips turned silly, they recorded The Soft Bulletin, a difficult-but-brilliant pop record. This album is the only perfect record the boys from OK ever recorded, but who can say that much? It's big in the right parts, touches you where it counts, and fills a set of headphones like few others. This is an essential listen.

Insert
The sleeves for this double LP are proper sleeves for protecting vinyl. You know the kind with paper, clear plastic lining and a hole in the middle to reveal the record's label.

Sleeve
As with the music, one can see the direction of the Flaming Lips' graphic design with silk screened images over bright colors and intricate designs and sharp typography. The inside features a great black and white of the band and lyrics. Record sleeves like this cause people to fall in love with albums.

Extras
Three outtakes are included on CD. Not only does this entice consumers with new music, but it also maintains the integrity of the original release and it's intended sequencing. The songs are throwaways, but a bonus nonetheless.

Record
180-gram vinyl just looks, feels, and sounds better. The only thing that could have made this better would have been some color on the vinyl.

whY?
Because I can only think of a small handful of records I like as much as this one.

No One's First, and You're Next - Modest Mouse

















Music
Honestly, I've heard more of this EP on KCOU than I have had time to listen to it at home. In my experience, EP's either contain songs that are too good to shelve until the next full-length release or throwaways that didn't quite cut it for the last album. In this case, these songs are closer to the latter category. However, "History Sticks to Your Feet" is beginning to stick. What I do like about this EP is that Isaac Brock continues to channel his early recordings in his most recent work. For a couple of albums he seemed to drift away from the warbling psychopath with cheap Japanese guitars I grew to love, but this is the second release that at least connects to his work in the mid-to-late-nineties. Either way, nothing he records sounds like any of the other crap on the radio or not played on MTV these days.

Insert
Nothing special. There's some continuation of the charcoal drawings of flies/insects and lyrics. I like the use of thick, quality paper for the insert with plastic coating on the inside to protect the vinyl.

Sleeve
Charcoal drawings of menacing insects with some handmade pen-and-ink lettering. It reminds me more of something one would have seen in an early Modest Mouse concert poster. It's simple and will stick out among their other releases.

Extras
There's the digital download...or so I thought. The file downloaded but won't decompress. Eventually, I'll get back to it and have my listen in the car, but for now it's vinyl only.

Record
I don't know for sure whether it's 180-gram vinyl, but it certainly is solid. There's no wobble in this record.

whY?
EP's are essential to a band's catalog. They give the listener a peak into the recording process between albums. That, or they're just another way to relieve you of some cheddar. You're pick. I think this is an intriguing part of the Modest Mouse oeuvre and should be given a chance.

God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl

















Music
Stuart Murdoch left Belle and Sebastian behind for this project. Maybe he should have rethought that plan of action. This record just sounds like one of those romantic comedies put out by Working Title Films. You know, the company who makes all those sappy comedies starring Hugh Grant and [enter name of American actress of the moment here]. Sure, those films are cute and involve lots of characters, but their benign for the most part. Even as playful as Belle and Sebastian became in this decade, there was always a hint of cynicism there to make you feel alive. This record is a Hugh Grant movie costarring Scarlett Johansson as a busy American shopkeeper in Glasgow who doesn't have time for love until a mysterious-yet-bumbling land surveyor (Grant) sweeps her off her feet. Do you really need to see how it ends?

Insert
The lyric sheet is white on black on rather heavy card stock, hugging the vinyl.

Sleeve
A simple black-and-white photo features a young woman looking longingly somewhere...very Belle and Sebastian.

Extras
There is the digital download.

Record
The vinyl is of medium quality. It's certainly not 180-gram.

whY?
If you miss Belle and Sebastian, this is worth a listen. The sleeve alone will look pretty cool in your record collection.

Overall Verdict: While the two new releases aren't particularly offensive, they are certainly not essential listening. The two re-releases are essential and will be played ad nauseam for little Lucia.

Bands I Wish Would Reunite So Lucia Could See Them

It seems to be all the rage this decade for indie bands of the 80's and 90's to reunite for a tour and sometimes a record or two. These were the bands I saw live the first time around or at least on which I cut my indie rock teeth. I wish many of them would reunite in maybe five years so that Lucia could see them as well. I say five years because a concert at this stage would only scare her. She will bee rambunctious and ready to dance in five years by my estimates.

Here's my list of top 10 reunions I wish Lucia could see.

10. Coctails
Before The Sea & Cake and before there was a Chicago sound in indie rock, there was Coctails. This band brought jazz to indie shows and had a huge influence on independent music. This is a reunion I'd also be very excited to see happen. I saw them several times in the mid-nineties, including their last jaunt in '95.

9.The Velvet Underground
OK. So, if this reunion happened again in five years or so, VU survivors would barely be able to stand on stage much less sound like they did back in the day. But it would still be cool, wouldn't it? These are the grandfathers (literally and figuratively) of punk and indie rock. Lucia should see such an influence on her father's record collection.


8. The Breeders
I had to get some ladies on this list. Besides, what band knows more about reunion tours than The Breeders? My other hope is that the Deal sisters would be cleaner than they've been for years so that they would sound like they did in the mid-nineties. Lucia needs some strong ladies to look up to. The Breeders first broke through in a time when heavy, masculine music was dominating music and they didn't do it with acoustic ballads. No, The Breeders rocked and partied harder than any of their male counterparts.


7. Pixies
While I'm on Kim Deal and her many comebacks, Lucia should see yet another quintessential band in indie rock history. I already saw Pixies on one of their reunion tours, but another generation needs to witness their greatness. She should know where Nirvana learned that loud/soft aesthetic or where Isaac Brock found his growl. This band, like most on this list, have had an enormous impact on the indie landscape. I want Lucia to know some of that history. So, we'll be there for the Pixies' fifth reunion tour.


6. Dinosaur Jr.
This band has been on a perpetual reunion. They've even gone so far as to record two albums (one was a typically bland reunion album; the second is reminiscent of their best word) since returning to the scene. However, I bet they'll grow tired of each other and break up again, just in time to reunite for Lucia's sixth birthday. They'll have to play outdoors, though. I can't risk Lu losing her hearing at such a young age.


5. Archers of Loaf
I really don't understand why no one is talking about an Archers of Loaf reunion. People just don't understand how incredible this band was live. Lucia knows "Web In Front" as I used to sing it to her while helping her get to sleep sleep. She should also know the sheer power that is Archers of Loaf.


4. Nirvana/Brainiac/Elliott Smith
I realize that none of these acts are no longer active due to tragic deaths, but wouldn't it be cool if they could come back to life just to play a Zombiepalooza or something? In all seriousness, Nirvana, Brainiac, and Elliott Smith were three of the biggest reasons I spend so much time and money on records and rock shows. I was lucky enough to see all of them live. Sadly, Lucia won't be so lucky.


3. Uncle Tupelo/Neutral Milk Hotel
These are two bands that I never saw due to discovering them too late, but I imagine it would be great to see them for the first time with Lu. Uncle Tupelo made my third-favorite genre, alt.country (whatever that is), possible and birthed two of my favorite bands of the past 15 years in Wilco and Son Volt. Neutral Milk Hotel recorded maybe the greatest album of my lifetime not recorded by Pavement. Seeing them together would be the ultimate father/daughter experience.


2. Sleater-Kinney
Too much sausage in this list. Possibly my favorite grrrl band ever comes in at number 2. I only saw them a few times back in the day, but they were so, so good live. The first time I saw Sleater-Kinney was in Amsterdam. Maybe if they come back, I can tell Lucia all about that trip.



1. Pavement
I know there has been recent talk of a Pavement reunion on the internets, but this really needs to happen 2015/16. Lucia will need to see what all the fuss is about after listening to my reminiscence of all the great Pavement records with the guy yelling in the background and the nonsensical lyrics or the terrible shows that were regularly hijacked my inadequate drummers and forgetful guitarists. She needs to know Pavement power. She needs to hear SM manipulate the lyrics and phrasing to his every whim. Lucia needs to know that Mark Ibold was in a band before Free Kitten or Sonic Youth. She needs to know Pavement.

It's a girl!

Lucia (pronounced Loo-shah) Caroline was born on September 11th (I know, I know) at 10:51 AM. She weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz and measured 19 inches in length. I'll share more on the birth once it gets by the "censors." Let's just say that R actively labored for over 31 hours, most of it at home as we had planned. We eventually moved to the hospital where R was able to deliver naturally.

Thanks for all the support and well wishes.

Besides the birthing story, there will be a blog dedicated to Lucia. More on that later. For now, here's picture...

Another Tuesday, Another Three Records to Review

The Breeders - Mountain Battles Three Hundred Twenty-Eight Words: It's been like 15 years since Last Splash, The Breeders' breakout monster of a record, was released. Maybe they drank too many PBR's or maybe they're old and tired, but Mountain Battles is a bit of a drag at times. Sometimes it reminds me of the crush I had on Kim Deal circa 1994, but it mostly reminds me of 2008 Kim Deal, post-rehab.

What does that all mean? Well, I still hear those melt-y, Deal sister harmonies, but now it's over mid-tempo thuds and twang instead of the surprising tings and poppy bass lines of their grunge-era work. It's as if The Breeders will relapse into a life of heroin busts and nights slumped over the bar at Walnut Hills if they rock too much. Luckily, the sisters from Dayton haven't lost their penchant for nontraditional song structures, which makes the tracks interesting at least. However, this does make much of the record difficult and tiresome.

The best demonstration of the highs and lows in which MB reaches happens between tracks 8 and 9. "Walk it Off" is a classic Breeders rocker where Kim hollers and the bass is chunky and out front. The beat is simple, but it leaves room for some fun guitar play. Then the next song begins, "Regalame Esta Noche". No one from Dayton, OH should sing Latin standards. Bob Pollard should not sing "Feliz Navidad" and the Breeders should have never taken on "Regalame". The track falls flatter than any previous Breeders' track ever. The song requires an accent that does not come from anywhere near the Miami Valley.

Although I am glad to see The Breeders release another record, I am saddened that they may have lost that edge that made them so important to me. It's similar to the Stephen Malkmus record, if you may recall. I guess that's part of growing old or whatever. Your heroes lose what made them great before you realize your own youth is gone.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "German Studies"

Pitchfork Says: ???

Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It OffTwo Hundred Twenty-nine Words: So, I was out of the loop (or Loon) when Tapes 'n Tapes were first a buzz band, or more specifically, a blog band. And when I did catch on, I was told that it was too late. Tapes 'n Tapes were a disappointment as soon as their record was released. Well maybe if stupid bloggers didn't use hyperbole in every sentence when describing every band who ever played a nightclub, the bands might have time to develop and mature in some sort of obscurity. Alas, that is no longer possible, but I digress.

I actually liked The Loon and I like Walk It Off. That's it. That's the review.

I'm not going to wax poetic about back in ought-3, before Gorilla vs. Bear and Pitchfork made Tapes mega-indie stars. I won't tell you that the wildness of the first record has been tamed into a more coherent sound that borrows less from Pavement and Pixies and more from...I don't know, maybe their own heads. I won't write about the possibility that the hype created by the blogosphere that both raised the band to stardom and crushed it may have allowed Tapes 'n Tapes certain freedoms that allowed them to make a solid record.

Nope. I'm just telling you that it's not too late to pick up Walk It Off (or The Loon) despite what Brooklyn Vegan says.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "Say Back Something"

Pitchfork Says: ???

Colin Maloy - Sings Live!One Hundred Thirty-One Words: Anybody who listens to The Decemberists knows that what keeps them coming back for more is Colin Meloy's voice and the band's lyrics. Here, you get just bare bones Decemberists. Meloy has released a collection of songs from his solo tour in 2006. It's not the most complete or even best set list ever, but it gives Decemberist fans what they want: Colin Meloy singing about pirate ships, espionage, gay teenagers, and Dracula's daughter (well, not that last one). While it's probably only essential for die-hard fans of the band, it should be noted that your dollar does go to Meloy's indie label, Kill Rock Stars. KRS is one of the few labels from my generation to stick to its indie roots. For these reasons, it might be worth a listen.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "Barbara Allen"

Pitchfork Says: 6.5