Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Always acknowledged as sloppy, laissez-faire geniuses of the indie set, Pavement continue to refine their singles-to-noise ratio on Terror Twilight. Working with Beck and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the lyrics remain inscrutable, but the songs, which opened up slightly on Brighten the Corners, finally begin to reveal themselves. --Randy Silver ... Read more

Reviews (156)

Ends Up In Your CD Player More Often Than Not
I had no previous exposure to Pavement before I bought this album several months ago. However, I knew Jonny Greenwood played on it, so--being a Radiohead fan--I took a chance. I'm glad I did. My initial disappointment on finding Greenwood's imput was minimal has been more than compensated. Terror Twilight is a little hidden treasure, a kind of miniaturist gem. It takes a while but once you hit the flow of reason behind these little songs--once you get what these guys are doing--then it's difficult to get through a day without humming one of their addictive melodies. Terror Twilight is filled with charming wordplay, the occasional amusing crunchy guitar. The laconic instrumentation threw me at first--it seemed empty, as if recorded after only a couple of rehearsals--but I soon cought on. Search and hunt: Godriches famous production--or lack of it!--is there, hidden and unobtrusive. The leisurely pace took some getting used to, as well. But the tunes! The Hexx, Major Leagues, You Are A Light: most are quite improbably wonderful. The real test for music is whether you're still listening to a band a month after you've been exposed to them. Months on now, dispite my initial indifference--I'm not only still listening, I want more.

The full maturing of Pavement
This album is a natural progression for Pavement from their more lo-fi, noise-pop in the "Westing by Musket and Sextant" and Slanted and Enchanted" days. A song such as "Spit on a Stranger" has greater commercial appeal than most of their other previous releases, while "Cream of Gold" recalls their earlier harder rock period. Songs like "..and Carrot Rope" and "Ann, Don't you cry" have definite leanings towards a Captain Beefheart sound, with their rock sensibilities still entwined with abstract guitar sounds and abrupt changes of pace mid-song. Producer Nigel Godrich, while refining Pavement's sound somewhat, still allows them to continue with some of the traditionally wayward flair that only Pavement could produce. While not of the ilk of their classic "Slanted and Enchanted" release, "Terror Twilight" still provides enough gems to maintain the listener's interest and is ideal to relax to on a warm, sunny afternoon. The laid-back production is a credit to Godrich, who allows a truly great indie-rock band to go out in style with a swansong that encapsulates the very essence of what Pavement endeavoured to produce - good indie-rock music with great dashes of the unpredictable.

Terror Delight
First I checked out "Crooked Rain", was blown away. Then got "Slanted"-sorry, but too raw. So then took a chance on "Terror Twilight" and... BEYOND!!! Again, like "Crooked", this will be one of those albums which will always be close by. Influences of Beatles, Zappa, best of punk, new wave, and yet its own sound. Beautiful melodies and lyrics, sometimes haunting. Some of them will stick onto my gray matter for ever....

malkmus is an absolute genious
Malkmus is a genious. This however is not his best work. His debut solo album is one of the best things he's ever done, pick that up before this. His Pig Lib is pretty great also, definately stronger than this. I continue to be amazed at the stuff this guy comes up with. There is no one else doing this. His lyrics and music are as insane as ever. I met him after a show at a bar and he's really quiet and introverted (at least he was that night) and you wonder where this music comes from. I put him up there with Westerberg as far as songwriting talent goes. When it comes down to it, there are 2 great songwriters the history of music : Malkmus and Westerberg.

Don't Harness Your Hopes ... of this CD!
That title of the review is a pretty lame Pavement pun, but this album deserves it. Buy this CD at least for the last track, "Carrot Rope," which is my favorite song by Pavement, and, on certain days, in the world. "Carrot Rope" has the solo Malkmus quality where it makes you smile like an idiot and bounce around when you're listening to it and everone around you is puzzled and wants to know what you're listening to. The big singles off the CD, "Spit on a Stranger," "Major Leagues," and "Folk Jam" are all excellent, too. Nigel's production is really interesting, and fills the listener with pangs of regret - what direction could Pavement have gone in if they hadn't broken up after this CD? Buy it for "Carrot Rope," listen to it for the undiscovered gems off the rest of the CD, and cherish it forever. ... Read more

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Recorded two and a half years before its release and carried in her hip pocket until Rykodisc Records stepped forward with a record contract, Tara Angell’s lingering debut album samples a spectrum of emotions--from melancholy and misfortune one song to sincerity and splendor the next. Co-piloted by pal and producer (and applauded singer/songwriter) Joseph Arthur, Come Down’s ominous lyrics and twisting, twisted melodies are textbook for Angell’s husky, cigarette-singed vocals--imagine Marianne Faithful aping Polly Jean Harvey or Stevie Nicks fronting the Velvet Underground. The dozen original songs by the New York City artist are vast illustrations of maturity and dexterity, coalescing between a bookshelf of dog-eared paperbacks and Angell’s desolate encounters with the everyday. She can resonate as dark and deserted as the last person on the planet ("Silver Lining") or cleverly chirp over the echo of a cocktail party ("Bitch Please"). But either way, Come Down will gnaw at your soul on the first listen, and stay with you long after. -- Scott Holter ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best album of the year...
Tara Angell's Come Down is simultaneously an immediate and timeless album. Each track's first spin is received like a fine dish that heightens all the senses and leaves you wanting more. And with time, listening to Come Down is like dipping into a vintage drop that's only getting better with the years.
Lyrically and in delivery there's an obvious sadness that pervades this album. Whether it be from heartbreak or loss, the water from Angell's well is coming from a dark place. It's a taste we all know. But this is anything but a miserable experience. Rather, Joseph Arthur's production lifts everything up into a sphere of hope and positivity. These contrasting emotions are melded to perfection from start to finish.
Tara Angell's voice has received comparisons to Marianne Faithfull and Lucinda Williams and while these artists may be inspirations in sound and spirit, Angell has in fact created a sound that transcends any influences. There's something so raw and true going on here that the before mentioned artists would no doubt feel privileged to have Tara compared to them.
Of the twelve tracks on Come Down pretty much all of them are top shelf. Opener Untrue is a slowly reverberating wave of numbed-out pop that sets a scene that could go anywhere. Hollow Hope kicks in with an upbeat rocking groove and a chorus as catchy as a ball skied deep into the outfield. Uneven is the album's masterpiece though. Amongst backwards guitars and tastefully lush backing vocals, Angell's delivery is a song within a song. Closer, The Big One is equally beautiful and restrained. Like the album as a whole, nothing is overplayed and there's enough air left to breathe throughout.
It may only be March but Come Down is hands down the album of the year so far and Uneven can wear the crown (or tiara) of best track. If there's any sense or justice in the music world, Tara Angell and Come Down will be received like saviours by all those who care about music.

why did we have to wait so long?
tara angell is the best new artist i've heard this year.her voice is remarkable, her songs are haunting; dark and lovely at the same time.remember her name, we are going to hear it again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The Will to Make Incredible Music
I've heard thousands of songs over the years but I've never heard a musician who is so willing to explore the inner depths of his soul and his reason for being as John Frusciante. After coming out with the amazing "Shadows Collide With People" only a few months ago, Frusciante is back with another fantastic cd that continues to explore issues of life, death, and beyond.
The album has a different sound from "Shadows"...a sound of it's own which is just as interesting, experimental, and ultimately beautiful. Frusciante writes some of the most profound and thought provoking lyrics I have ever read. His voice is incredible...at times soothing, at times raw with emotional intensity and pain, at all times soulful. The songs I like the most are "An Excercise," "Mirror," "A Loop," and (my favorite) "Far Away." If you enjoyed "Shadows Collide With People" then you will definitely love "The Will To Death" as well. I highly recommend it to all, although I must say, both albums require 3 or 4 listenings before the beauty of it all starts to sink in.

one more of many to come
Another great record by John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer. This time around he recorded this effort in a span of 5 days and the finished peice is raw yet beautiful. This album marks the first in a series of albums to be released in the upcoming months. When John made 'Shadows Collide with People' he said how he wanted to prove people wrong about saying he couldnt make a album that wasn't messed up (i.e. Niandra LaDes and Smile From the Streets you Hold). He came through with a wonderful "production" record. On 'The Will to Death' the songs are stripped, but easy to listen to, and a pleasure to hear. This is a must for any Frusciante fan and a great album by a very gifted songwriter.

Doubt
John Frusciante has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old. I grew up listening to him and the post-Hilel Red Hot Chili Peppers, always paying closer attention to his guitar playing than I did to Anthony's singing or Flea's bass heroics. As cliched as this sounds, I suppose John is one of the few musicians I listen to, and I do listen to and enjoy a lot of musicians, whose work I can connect with spiritually. When I listen to John play the pieces I consider his most beautiful, I become filled with so much positive emotion I feel high. For whatever reason, I looked upon John's decision to release six albums throughout the remainder of the year with some trepidation. Would these albums live up to the high quality of Shdaows Collide With People? Was John Frusciante beginning to stretch himself thin? Would I even enjoy this record at all? The Will to Death is, up to this point, my favorite piece of work by John Frusciante. John's solo music is so special to me that I am apprehensive about playing any of his first three solo albums for people because I know how angry I will get if they criticize John's playing or voice. Shadows Collide with People is safe in this regard because it is so overproduced and essentially a pop album at heart, although it is very personal to me as well. The production on the Will to Death represents the perfect medium between John's first three solo albums and his fourth. In my opinion, this is how every Frusciante album should be produced. The songs themselves are all beautiful, with the deeper, more introspective songs on an already lyrically deep and introspective album taking on a life of and creating worlds of their own. John's voice couldn't sound better and his minimalist guitar playing compliments his rejuvinated vocals perfectly, allowing for his poetry to take center stage for the first time. The song which best exemplifies this is the Mirror, with it's ethereal whisps of smoke and haunting piano playing, it examines the self-destructive psyche of an essentially good human being. At the emotional apex of the song, Frusciante sings a crystaline, "Time doesn't crawl back to where it doesn't show, no one means me when they say people don't grow. The face in the mirror is not me." If you know anything about John Frusciante's life story, these lyrics and the sonic landscape they inhabit are familiar. Familiar is a good word for describing the subject matter Frusciante tackles on this record. Again, John examines ontological and psychological topics, such as loss, pain, life, death, consciousness, the nature of space-time, and reincarnation. John also examines love in the amazing Far Away, which sounds like something Lennon and Mccartney could have written if they had been able to reconcile during their solo careers in the 1970's because it meshes the two without ever really sounding Beatle-esque. My favorite song on the album is the mildly psychedelic "Wishing", which has the amazing ability to transport me back to childhood every time I listen to it, in part becuase of the background chimes that recall the ice cream truck man in the summer. Other stand-outs include the opening tack Doubt, The Loop, Days Have Turned, and the Will to Death. As a side note, Helical is one the best John Frusciante instrumentals, rivaling Ramparts in its beauty. This album is a very high watermark to set for one's self, which makes me all the more excited for John's next five solo projects and the work he is supposedly doing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Omar Rodriguez of Mars Volta. Thank you, John.

He never seizes to amaze.
Being a die-hard fan of John Frusciante and the Chili Peppers, I was expecting great things from "The Will to Death". I received a treat. John has matured greatly over the years with his music, and this album shows it. Every song is beautiful, honest, and compelling with every strum of the guitar, every lyric that is sung, and every drum that is struck. He set new limits with his diverse style of music. He broke the mold with songs like, "The Mirror", "The Days Have Turned", "Far Away", and "The Will to Death". You will be swept away by it's beauty. Josh Klinghoffer was a great addition on the drums. John even played the bass on the song, "Far Away", and he was pretty impressive. John's talent can go so far. By this album. You will fall in love with it.

Where does he get the time!?
JF is always outdoing himself! I'm always amazed at how determined and focused this guy is. After doing a 180 and completely changing his life around, he reenters the RHCP and proves once again he can write Chart toppers in and out of the band.

After recently purchasing his previous album, Shadows Collide with People, I was finding myself listening over and over again to tracks like Omission, Song to Sing When I'm Lonely, and Everyperson. The connectivity with John and Josh Klinghoffer is a mutual love for the heart-felt and meaningful song.

I was really hoping to hear this again with TWTD but I wasn't blown away this time. The idea of this album is great and it's refreshing to hear him producing this album (and the other 5) in one or two takes, but I find this time it feels a little too sappy for me. And I almost feel bad even saying that as a devoted fan of John, but when I go back through all his solo work, this just seems to lack the 'umf' I was looking forward to. It IS a personal journey for him and I can hear it in the song but even after the usual 3 or 4 rounds of listening to the albums (just about how long it takes to fall in love with it) I wasn't getting the same reaction.

To clarify, I'm not criticizing his production skills - I'm just hoping he's saving his efforts for the other five. And if you're a loyal fan, I'd expect to find my review "unhelpful" and ineffective in cautioning you on buying TWTD - because you SHOULD buy it and I'm NOT cautioning you to save your $$! So stop reading my review and buy the thing. :D

Note: As a graphic designer, this album looks truely elegant. John's got a great eye as well. ... Read more

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Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, an eight-song EP from Modest Mouse, is a mellow affair. The release combines old tracks from Night on the Sun (an out-of-print vinyl-only EP), remixes, and outtakes from the The Moon and Antarctica sessions along with a couple new songs. "Willful Suspension of Disbelief" is a sedated intro that didn't make it onto Moon, but it sets the perfect tranquil mood to introduce this disc. Although the new track "You're the Good Things" builds intensity with quickening drumbeats and front man Isaac Brock's tension-filled vocals, most of the songs on this album float in a dreamier state. "The Air"--producer Brian Deck's remix of several Moon tracks collaged together--is a woozy instrumental jam that enters experimental, electronic territory. Brock gets sensitive on "So Much Beauty in Dirt," exclaiming that there's "so much beauty it could make you cry" over stripped-down guitars and subtle psychedelic effects. While Brock's distinct vocal and guitar style makes this most definitely a Modest Mouse product, Everywhere is a relaxed evolution for Modest Mouse, a drift down the indie-rock back roads, an Americana-meets-post-rock revisioning of their old sound. --Jennifer Maerz ... Read more

Reviews (25)

The Worst Modest Mouse CD Ever Recorded
This has to be the worst modest mouse cd out there. I have seven and this is my least favorite. However, it is still good to have if you're a Modest Mouse fan. But if you've never heard Modest Mouse before I recommend you get The Lonesome Crowded West, then This is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, and then get The Moon And Antartica. It's not that the songs on this CD are that bad they're just not as good as other songs from their other cd's.

A pale Moon and Antartica, but still satisfies
This album is the softest Modest Mouse EP or LP I've ever heard. Understandable, because most of these are outtakes from Moon and Antarctica. To keep this short, there is only typical one anthemic song on this EP, and that is Night on the Sun. It's good. Most of the tracks run around 4 minutes, which is relatively short for Modest Mouse. But most of the songs are good. Only one complaint: track 5: The Air. It's MM fooling around with effects in the studio basically, and unlike how in some songs it gets them somewhere, in this one it doesn't. However, everything else is a gem. Buy it especially if you have extra cash or you can find it used, and buy it if your a medium to extreme fan of Modest Mouse. But otherwise, go for LCW, MandA, or This is A Long Drive before you get this...Overall: Very Good, not spectacular.

Great Music for a Rainy Winter
It cracks me up that "purist" Modest Mouse fans give this album a lower rating because it isn't like Building Something Out of Nothing or A Long Drive or Lonesome Crowded West or Moon Over Antartica. To me, that's like complaining that Radiohead's The Bends isn't anything like Pablo Honey or that Kid A isn't anything like OK Computer. What makes Modest Mouse and Radiohead awesome bands is that they experiment with sounds while still staying true to their own creative direction. Their sounds change. If you want Modest Mouse to keep re-releasing versions of Lonesome then I say you don't really appreciate the full scope of their music.

On Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, Modest Mouse sounds like they're playing a small club on a mellow Thursday night in the middle of a Northwest rainy winter, not tearing up The Showbox on a sweaty Saturday night in the heat of summer. The two gems are Night on the Sun and Here It Comes, although every song is fantastic with one notable exception: #5. This is a bit of a stinker. I skip it every time because it sounds like filler. That said, the stripped down sound and slower tempo of this album is a striking contrast to other MM albums, and equally satisfying.

folk done modest mouse style
admittedly, Im not the biggest fan of modest mouse. I dont own all of their albums, Ive never seen them live, I dont like Good News...(which alot of people dont. I dont even own the thing) and I certainly am having a hard time finding any of their indie releases in the area I live in. So since you the reader know I have only a small experience with the beauty that is modest mouse. that being said, this is a phenominal EP. basically take the snippets between some songs on the moon and antarctica and multiply it times 7 and bang heres the album. its rather trippy and definitely a headphone listen. the songs blend well with each other, some of them could even be on the album. my only qualm with this album is that it doesnt sound too great in a terrible system (but what album does?) and I came as a rat and the mix of songs off of the moon and antarctica should not have been included. the mix is a little interesting, but I admit I didnt know it was a mix at first.

buy it, its a nifty album. definitely listen to it at night.

Clever, clever...
Upon visiting my local record store I asked the knowledgeable clerk (a la High Fidelity) what the best darn tootin' Modest Mouse recording is. He snapped his CD dusting fingers and without hestitation declared Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks their finest. I had only previously heard the current single on the smelly corporate radio station in L.A., and this group of tracks WHOOOOOOSH!! swept me away. Simple, pleasant melodies paired with clever lyrics and fatalistic dreamery is an inept way to decribe this CD that has not left my changer for three months. It rests between spins alongside other current favs (read: if you like...you will like...) Franz Ferdinand, Elefant, Mum, and The Stills. ... Read more

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Part of the Elephant Six collective of psychedelic pop bands (they were high school chums with The Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel in their hometown of Ruston, LA), the now-Denver-based Apples In Stereo run wild with their Beach Boys/Pet Sounds fixation on their splendid second album. Guitarist/vocalist Robert Schneider is the key auteur here, crafting a winning set of strange but melodic tunes. Drummer Hilarie [stet] Sidney also gets props for contributing to the irresistible harmonies. (Witness the big, orchestral/vocal build-up at the end of "Silver Chain.")Jim Derogatis ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Indie Pop at its Finest

I first heard The Apples In Stereo on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. Finding "Let's Go (Signal in the Sky)" to be the sunniest piece of pop music I'd heard in a while, I went to the record store which, of course, did not have a copy. I was still interested in the band, so I got this CD instead.

I was not dissapointed. Tone Soul Evolution is an absolute delight, and a perfect break from the producer-driven pop that currently dominates the airwaves. Schneider has a great ear for pop, and every single song is irresistably catchy, with the exception of the short filler tracks "Silvery Light of a Dream (Part 1)" and "Coda". Those two tracks are the only blemish on an otherwise perfect album, and as far as filler goes, they're tolerable enough to listen through.

As great as this album is, one must keep in mind that this is Lo-Fi, and therefore may take some getting used to. Although it was recorded on 24 tracks, making it much more polished than the average album in the genre, I still required 2 or 3 listens to get used to the sound.

In short, if you like sunny pop music and can get around the deliberately unpolished nature of the album, you will like Tone Soul Evolution.

Wonderful power-pop
Pop Kulcher Review: The centerpiece of the so-called "Elephant 6 Collective," a group of bands who share ideas and, occasionally, band members and recording facilities. All of these bands share a reverence for Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. The Apples in Stereo make music that is readily accessible, avoiding the psychedelic excesses of some of their peers. Tone Soul Evolution, their third album, is chock full of shimmery, lush psychedelic power pop, with catchy hooks and off-kilter twists. It's yummy, it's inconsequential, like a box of Nerds candy. Fans of Magical Mystery Tour and late-period XTC will love this, as may some fans of Pavement.

The Silvery Light of a Dream
Beach Boys meets the Beach Boys after stepping through a musical rift in the time space continuum that opened in mid '67 while Brian Wilson was tripping out smiley smile style and wigging out about mysterious fires. Together, the two sets of superheros produce formula based psych pop. Oh, but what a wonderful formula it is.

Dreams Come to Dreamers at Night
It's easy to say that this is just really good 60s pop-rock, but it's so much more than that. Tone Soul Evolution has some of the most blissful, jangling pop tunes I've ever heard. These tracks are all delectable ear candies, sweetened to perfection. The Apples are one of the most underrated pop bands of the 90s. They really have an amazing sound. Rob's dreamy vocals and the soaring tempos make this album a delightful experience for me listen after listen. There's also an awesome foldout picture included in the album sleeve. The songs The Silvery Light Of A Dream (Part II), Tin Pan Alley and Find Our Way are my favorite tracks on the record. I definitely recommend this album to fans of catchy, upbeat rock and roll.

awsome
this cd is great! liked it the first time i listened to it! Buy it! ... Read more

Reviews (40)

i forgot
the moldy peaches is the GREATEST cd i have ever owned! one of the reasons i like it so much is that every song on this cd is good, yet different from the next, from Nothing Came Out, a song about love and cartoons, to Downloading Porn With Davo, a song about prositution for drugs. The lo-fi recording and telephones ringing in the background add to the sincerity, reality, and charm of this album. I love the fact that Kimya and Adam sound like real people singing. Although its hard to choose, my favorite song on this album is N.Y.C.'s like a graveyard because i love the honest lyrics. This is one of the faster songs on the c.d. with vocals that are belted out along with a great electric guitar riff. another song worth mentioning is Steak for Chicken in which the two vocalists sing different lyrics at the same time. THE POINT: with it's imaginative lyrics, lo-fi sound, and childish songs with adult content, the moldy peaches is one contradiction worth listening to.

be yourself.... be good to yourself....
The Moldy Peaches are one of the most avant-garde, inspiring bands I have come across. At anytime throughout the day if you are ever feeling sad, lonely, or maybe your just taking everything way too seriously. Then just put in the cd and let the music give you something real to feel. Their music is a very raw, solid feel. You know that they actually have talent and haven't been sold out by the mindless media. I always get a genuine happiness when I listen to their music. But above it all, I believe that Adam and Kimya have the most beautiful collaboration of singing voices. When they sing together they have such a strong energy. I have never heard any other duo that can sing different verses at the same time so graceful and beautiful as them. Their voices were meant to be together. So bottom line is if you have an imagination and don't want yourself to be sold then get this CD somehow, somewhere, someway.

most rocking album
i honestly cannot get enough of this album. i've had it for about two years and tend to forget about it until i get really bored with all music. then i find it, and it makes me smile and think the world has not sold out. it's a cross between really amazing music and the band we all tried to start in college. the fuzzy, blown-out, 4-trackyness of this album only adds to its greatness and its pleasure to listen to. i forget which song it is, but the song ends with the words 'flawless victory' from mortal kombat and then goes into this funny little electronic clarinet, oboe ditti that is just one of the finest moments in recent music. basically, every time i rediscover this album, it lives in my cd player for weeks...

Most Wonderful
You know, this album is really outstanding.

I'm a brit living in the US and this was a recommendation made to me while back in London visting my friend Paul. I had never heard of the Moldy Peaches but when back in CA I ran out and purchased the album...such a good decision.

These clever people take their NY smarty-pants, faux-innocence to such an extreme that their songs emerge grounded, natural and even touching. Of course this twisted confessional gels wonderfully with their truly low-fi recording style. The language is unsuitable for church gatherings but is in no way excessive or forced. As other reviewers have noted this is the kind or recording that really allows one to rise above depressed moods and embrace the joyful absurdity of life.

Sample lyric: "Withot 40oz of social skills, I'm the ass in the crack of humanity. I'm just a huge manatee"

Just Wonderful...purchase immediately.

Pop as it should be!
This album is absolutely brilliant!!! I've been listening to it for half a year now and it never sounded to me as something of a low-fi. It has gorgeous pop songs, beautiful melodies, twisted lyrics in fact reminiscent of the lost youth. Among 19 songs there's not a sigle one which i would skip on my cd player. One of the best cds i ever owned (i got it from my ex-girlfriend, thank you Martine!) ... Read more

Reviews (17)

They Remind me Of Your Starry Eyes
First of all, the ordering of the songs bugs me. The second album, 'The Wayward Bus' (c.1992), is placed before the first album, 'Distant Plastic Trees' (c.1991) on the CD. It's just a minor annoyance.

Both albums are sung entirely by Susan Anway (formerly of the Boston punk group "V" in the early 1980s). She decided to move to to Arizona in 1991 and left the vocal duties to Stephin Merritt. He has wonderfully unique baritone voice, which is slightly reminiscent of Johnny Cash. The songs might have been better had he sung them. Anyway on with the review.

Overall, 'The Wayward Bus' album is better than 'Distant Plastic Trees'.

The only bad song on 'Wayward Bus' is 'Toyko A Go-Go' (it's bad compared with the other songs on 'The Wayward Bus' and future albums.)

High points on this album are 'Candy', 'Lovers From The Moon', 'Dancing In Your Eyes', and 'Jeremy'.

Seperating the albums is an untitled silence track which goes on for 4 minutes and 32 seconds, which seems a bit too long (I almost forgot there was another album afterwards).

Now their first album. 'Distant Plastic Trees' is probably the worst thing the Magnetic Fields ever released (compared to other Magnetic Fields albums; it's much better than a lot of things out there at the time).

High points are 'Railroad Boy' (which I rank as one of my favorite MF songs), 'You Love To Fail', 'Tarheel Boy', and, of course, the college radio hit '100,000 Fireflies'.

'Kings' and 'Babies Falling' are okay songs, but the worst songs (compared to the other songs) on this album.

Well, overall the CD is a good interesting listen, even if it cronicles the weakest period of the band in reverse. Keep in mind: This shouldn't be an introduction to the band. I suggest 'Holiday' or '69 Love Songs' for that.

Great First Release, Mediocre Second Half
Some of the best songs on this two-album CD are "100,000 Fireflies," "The Saddest Story Every Told," and "Jeremy." Susan Anway does the vocals on this CD, but she left the band and Stephin Merritt did the vocals on subsequent releases. I find her vocals more pleasing than Stephin's, but the vocals seem more heartfelt when Stephin sings. The lyrics from "Railroad Boy" (on this CD) seem to summarize it, "I will not sing your ugly songs..." She does a beautiful job on these songs, but the lyrics suggest a more melancholy aspect.

The songwriting is superb, and the variety of instruments used on this CD is great. There's a "Magnetic Fields" sound here that is hard to describe, melodic but melancholic, and impressionistic and almost familiar.

If you've seen the TV show "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," you'll recognize many Magnetic Fields songs, one such on this album is "Lovers From the Moon."

The first album on this CD, "The Wayward Bus," is much better than the second album. The second half of the CD is much darker and moody, and the songs seem to drag on a little too long without going anywhere. I would give the second half 3 stars, while the first half gets 5 stars. However, the song "100,000 Fireflies" is a real gem of a song and it alone makes this CD worth getting.

Susan's Vocals
Susan was hired for these two albums to sing in the manner which Stephin wanted her to sing. It's no accident that she sang on some of the tracks, in what has been termed "bland" "monotone" etc.This is the effect Stephin wanted so this is exactly how Susan sang the songs, under Stephin's explicit direction. Susan has an amazing vocal range. If you doubt this just listen to some of her early art/punk "V;" work. As I said, her vocal range is amazing.

Karaoke from hell
Since I love "69 Love Songs" I was eager to check out Merritt's back catalogue. Bad move. I have three more albums now, this one, "The charm of the Highway Strip" and "Get Lost". None of them are even near any resemblance to the quality and range of styles we know from "69". I will not buy any more Merritt albums, unless he comes up with something new that can compare with "69".
This "two albums for the price of one" disc is by many concidered to be one of Merritt's best. It leaves me headscratching.
Some albums simply doesn't make any sense to me, and this is one of them. No mattter how I try, I simply can't figure out what on earth it was meant to accomplish.
It is by far the most monotonous sounding pop album I have ever heard in my life. The arrangements seems to have no direction at all. It's like a hotchpotch of droning sounds smashed together at random. At least, this album gives the term "wall of sound" a completely new meaning to me. And it sounds the same all the way through (except from Tokyo a Go-go, which sounds like a really bad one from the Eurovision Song Contest).
Singer Susan Anway sings in the same emotionless manner all the way through, like if she was completely unaware of the heavy, sirupy sound machinery surrounding her.
I must admit, the contrast makes me smile. She sounds just so phenomenally lost and LONELY it's actually worth checking out.
On top of it all, the production is intetionally horrible.
Should I describe the music on this album very simply, I would have to say that it sounds just like karaoke from hell.

The house we bought was really a lake...
This is my favourite of all the Magnetic Fields releases to date. It contains their first album 'Distant Plastic Trees' (minus one track - 'Plant White Roses'). It's is a strange and beautiful record full of songs that use unusual structures and orchestrations ('Babies Falliing' is little more than a folk song sung over sounds of trickling and noise, 'Living In An Abandoned Firehouse with You' uses warm atmospheric electronics and a great melody, 'Kings' is again a seemingly unstructured piece with a bizzare melody and odd backing track). On this CD all tracks are sung by Susan Anway who negotiates herself like a zombie through Stephin Merritt's lyrical word play and electronic musical mazes. The effect is stunning and not distancing as it may at first sound. Lurking amongst the obscurities is the alterna-hit '100'000 Fireflies' which sounds positively conventional in this setting.

The rest of the CD (the first 10 tracks) are made up of The Wayward Bus songs which were recorded after the Distant Plastic Trees tracks. . Susan Anway is again your vocalist de jour and these songs are great in an entirely different way. There's a Phil Spector-ish vibe filtered through the Merritt lo-fi home recording system on songs like "When You Were My Baby" and "The Saddest Story Ever Told". There's the odd stinker ('Tokyo A Go Go' anyone?) but so many moments of divinity ('Candy', 'Jeremy', 'Like Lovers From the Moon') easily outweigh this. Track 11 is 4 and a half mintues of silence that separate the two sections of the CD - Why? Who knows, just chalk it up as one of the mysteries of the Magnetic Fields.

I can take or leave some of the later efforts such as the 69 Love Songs extravaganza, but The Wayward Bus is a CD I constantly revisit.

PS: Oh and can I just add how nice it is to again see the attractive artwork of Wendy Smith on the cover (she did the cover art for the band, Weekend, in the 1980's). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Julie Ruin, the alias of Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna, is a solo artist who makes up tunes on a broken sampler and a $40 drum machine. In the hands of lesser talents, this would be a project best left on a homemade cassette. But Julie Ruin's self-titled debut deftly regenerates the angry themes of Bikini Kill harangues into thoughtful songs whose primitive stylings effectively showcase an emerging feminist polemic. "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is as devastating an anti-cop rap as "Fuck tha Police," and "Crochet" takes out the fawning media that turned Hanna into a spokesmodel for the riot-grrrl movement. It isn't the direction one might think she would have taken, but Hanna's metamorphosis into Julie Ruin is fascinating. It's like watching someone think out loud in stereo. --Lois Maffeo ... Read more

Reviews (21)

julie ruin rocks my world
kathleen hannah has once again amazed me with her talents. this album comes highly reccommended not only to fans of her past work in bikini kill, but also to those into lo-fi, rap, hip hop, and other underground/indie genres. 'i wanna know what love is' is my favorite song on this album, but each track has it's own personality. the opening lines of the second verse reminds me of what suburban white girl feminist gangsta rap would be like if there were such a thing. this is powerful music for people who aren't afraid of things that aren't always pretty. this album is a true work of art from an inspiring artist. 'stay monkey' is another standout track. if you're into what's happening in the future of feminism, lo-fi, and electronic music, be sure to check this cd out.

You make me want to...CROCHET!
Kathleen proves that she can rock all by herself with a few basic intruments and her ingenious thought provoking lyrics.

I must admit when I first listened to this CD I was a little disappointed, I was expecting Bikini Kill part 2. After a couple of listens I came to realize that this is a multi-faceted artist with a lot to say, and she's able to express herself in different forms. Just check out Le Tigre's debut CD for proof of that!

The song that stands out and never fails to give me the chills is "I Wanna Know What Love Is," it talks about the absence of real police protection and how they are the offenders, no different from the rest of the criminals. She even dares to touch on the Jon Benet Ramsey tragedy...her words cause me to choke back the tears each time I listen to it. A lot of Ms. Hanna's songs have this affect on me!

Kathleen displays her depth as a musician so well on this solo debut, I hope she does another solo project...even though I do love Le Tigre.

Buy this & be blown away!

greatest
this cd was one of the best. kathleen hanna is just as good as she was when in bikini kill. the cd has a really nice poetry and techno vibe

cute and spunky
This is quirky party rock from a real cute kitty. good time "girl power" fun!!

Kathleen Hanna graces our ears with her talent once again.
The instrumental workings are very impressive and highly pleasing. The lyrics are of course meaningful and amazing, interesting whether you agree with her or not. The CD does not disappoint with a minimal number of songs or a half-assed effort relying on previous Bikini Kill fame. I'd recommend this to any Kathleen Hanna fan, riot grrrl, or open-minded person. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

You Think You Like The Apples? This Is The One To Get!
I am not an expert on this band yet; I own 3 albums- the other 2 being Science Faire and Tone Soul Evolution, and contrary to popular opinion 'Fun Trick' is the creamiest so far, trust me. Although the reviews seem to favor 'Tone Soul', take a listen and you'll see I'm right.

In 'FTN', you can tell the band is influenced by certain sounds of the 60s, but as opposed to 'TSE', they always keep it sounding original. Although Tone Soul is a good album and has some tasty bits to keep you coming back, overall the album isn't nearly as original. Some of it comes out sounding too close to the Monkees, or some other band from the mid to late sixties who caught on a little too late to be hip, ending up sounding synthetic.

For instance, "Seems So," Tone Soul's first song, is just too happy- it almost sounds like something The Partridge Family would have done. Tracks like that were a little disappointing to me, considering that the sublime Fun Trick was my first Apples purchase. FTN to me doesn't venture that far into 60s-happyland. Although sounding retro, it keeps a hint of danger lacking in some of TSE, with hard-driving, sinister guitar riffs; always catchy and original- and yes, fun.

That's not to say Tone Soul Evolution isn't worth getting, it definitely is, but as a starter you may want to consider Science Faire, or better yet, the tastiest dessert treat the Apples in Stereo have to offer--- Fun Trick Noisemaker.

Long live original music and praise the death of today's silly circus performers (who call themselves 'bands' and are somehow recognized by the music industry as important), whenever it comes.

Their best album, from what I can tell
I don't have all of AIS' albums, but of the three I either own, or have owned, this one's much better than "Tone Soul Evolution" and TONS better than "World Inside the Moone," which I turned right around and sold about two weeks after buying it (read my review of it!).

This album does sound original, not too derivative of the sunny 60s, and is a helluva lot of fun. It sounds a LOT like Let's Active to me as well -- Schneider's vocals are almost dead-on Mitch Easter. The only flaws, as with other Apples albums, are that I'm not too fond of Hilarie's vocals, and there were a few times when I was listening to the album that I forgot I was listening to it; that is, I sort of tuned out.

"Dots 123" is my favorite song on the album, by the way. A FUN blowout!!

Psychedelic Wonderland
How this band can play such ultra-lighthearted, blissful, trippy pop reminiscient of Saturday morning cartoons when Gen X were children without being schmaltzy and pointless, I have no idea. Must be genius. :~)

Like many I saw them first on Cartoon Network in the video for their great "Signal in the Sky" song done for the Powerpuff Girls series. But since then I've delved deeper into the band's work and found a lot of gems there. My favourite Apples songs weren't to be found here, but there were some great new discoveries to be made.

As I said before, their music is pure fun, pop in its truest and purest sense. Most bands that try this come across as trite and silly, but not the Apples. The only other band I've seen manage it are the B-52's.

I've already ordered some more of their CDs. :~)

Standing On the Shoulders Of Giants
This is a great album to have if you enjoy psychedelic pop bands of the sixties, especially bands like The Beatles (who doesn't?), The Beach Boys, and The Zombies. On FUN TRICK NOISEMAKER, The Apples mine the same sonic territory that the aforementioned trailblazers created more than three decades ago. Yet, with FTNM, they wisely avoid creating a hackneyed throwback to an abandoned era of pop music. Instead, they forge their own refreshing definition of psychedelic pop music that comes off relevant, exciting, and even unique.

One reviewer compared Apples In Stereo to Pavement, an observation that I fully agree with. They sound like Pavement creating music in the psychedelic sixties (only the Apples never get as experimental as Pavement.) Thus, although their sound is strongly influenced by The Beatles et al., they don't sound as if they've been living under a rock since the end of the British Invasion. They've obviously been paying attention to the indie pop movement of the 80's/90's.

It's kind of odd to me that this kind of music isn't more popular, that this band hasn't gained a stronger fanbase. I would honestly recommend (at least listening to) this band to almost anyone - my friends, my siblings, even my parents. I think there's a good chance that most people will find something to like about FTNM.

There aren't really any bad songs on FTNM. "Green Machine" is one of my favorites. It's a very nostalgic look at that golden period in your life when you're young, have tons of friends, and life is just simple and fun. "Saturdays and Superfriends / these are things I thought would last forever." If you had a Green Machine when you were little like I did, then you'll totally get this song. Nostalgia seems to pervade every song on this album. Other favorites include the first two songs (after the intro): "Tidal Wave" and "High Tide," two near-perfect pop tunes awash with marine imagery and catchy hooks. "Pine Away" is a great closer. Honestly, if I go on I'll name every song on the album so I'll just cool it.

OK, so not everybody gets into this album. Why? One reason that I can think of is that it is a bit lo-fi. However, I love that aspect - it lends the album charm and personality while reinforcing the link to an older era of pop music. Others may say that a lot of the songs sound identical. I will agree that if you listen to FTNM over and over without a break, the unique qualities of individual songs begin to disappear. But the same can be said of so many great albums and it's no reason to bypass this one. Probably the most legitimate complaint, in my estimation, concerns Rob Schneider's voice. Although I liked it immediately, it will probably be an acquired taste for most people, if they ever like it.

I'm so glad that I discovered this album.

It's Fun but not so Trick...
Fun, I will agree with that part of the album title, but you need to be careful how often you play this disc, it can get old fast. Never heard The Apples in Stereo? They have a similar feel to that of "Pavement" playing the greatest hits of the Go Go's or "Cracker" playing School house rock. It's happy it's fun, it's not going to challenge you musically. It might be just what the doctor ordered, it might be like the same joke that made you laugh in grade school. Oh yeah, I remember when milk shot out of my nose. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

really really cool!
I'm the person other reviewers keep saying this album is perfect for--someone interested in gbv and unsure of where to start. and I have to say, it's convinced me! I've listened to little else since I unwrapped the shrinkwrap and popped it into my cd player four days ago. assuming this doesn't make me go crazy, I'd say it's been a success. I'm already plotting to work up a collection of everything else in the next two years or so (hey, it is a lot of stuff!)

ps--I actually liked some of the most lo-fi songs the best

some of the great tracks are here...
Ok, I realize how hard it would have been to make a cd compilation like this. Word has it that Bob himself chose these songs so I guess it makes little sense to question why "Bulldog Skin" was chosen over "Little Lines" from Mag Earwhig or why "I am a Tree" was chosen over "Sad if I lost it" from the same album....Gbv are one of my favorite bands ever, and I am happy this was not my first introduction to them. I would have made the assumption that they were just a good band, rather than the great force that they were circa Same Place the Fly Got Smashed,Alien Lanes, Bee Thousand, Under the Bushes... If someone is curious about GBV and is reading this, try one of those records first, and you will be a changed person for life. This record might not do that for you...not to say it isn't good - it is, but this is the Coles notes of GBV. The whole story is much much more involving.

A good intro to a great band
The word is out -- now that GBV is leaving us as a "collective" this August with their final album, "Half Smiles of the Decomposed". it's time to relish their recordings and help them live on.

GBV has always produced "challenging" music that's NOT for the casual listener or music part-timer. They may sound sloppy, lo-fi, garagey and "loopy" -- most of their best songs are short, sweet and to the point. They are not for everyone.

HOWEVER, if you are into big hooks, anthematic choruses, big emotions and stadium RAWK, then they will work for you. There is just a power to GBV that cannot be denied -- the hook, wordplay and shimmering guitars all weave into a magical tapestry (and no, I'm not one of those GBV freaks who obsess over them). I honestly get chills when I hear their music -- it hits me to the core -- not many bands give me feelings of joy, confusion, sadness and awe. Among the seemingly messy song, there lies pure pop ingenuity and SOLID melody.

Ok Ok so what does this have to do with this collective? Well for the album completists or those new or partly aware of GBV, this album works. Spanning over 10 years of their recorded career (they've been around for 20!), this album contains some of their best songs, "snippets" and golden nuggets. You will find a hook in each and every song here!

Listen to the album and you'll experience great songs that should have been hits in a fair and alternate universe. While the titles / lyrics are sometimes silly and "trippy", the music is dead-on. Ranging from punk to pop to pure rock, you'll hear these songs way after they've left spinning in your player. (And amazingly, GBV avoids the cliche "la la la" or "clapping" choruses to get the pop song moving along.)

If you love music and want to hear it pure, whole and without overproduced engineering, check this disc out (and then go buy more of their catalog).

You will be happy.

(Given my review, I left a star out because there is no way to catalog and showcase GBV's massive and impressive catalog on one disc.)

Chang, chang, chang, blah,blah,blah.
If this is the "Best of GBV", I can't imagine what their worst is like! Every once in a while I try to listen to these guys...mainly because someone tells me "you would love GBV". And everybody raves about these "indie underground cult Gods". I am sorry. But I find every song to be a complete, annoying repeat of the previous one: strummy guitars, sloppy drums low in the mix and warbly, whiny vocals blathering on about who-really-gives-a-damn. I pity the fools who get taken in by these kind of phony-baloney "lo-fi" artful wannabes. Played front to back, this album is the equivalent of turning your radio dial between stations: droning white noise.

Fantastic
This is a really good cd if you want to get into guided by voices. It has almost all of my favorite songs on it and it wasn't very expensive. And I mean, over 30 songs! It great. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Perhaps we've been spoiled by the prolific talents of Stephen Merritt. He's the brainchild behind the 6ths, Magnetic Fields, and Future Bible Heroes, which all prove that sentimentality didn't die out with the Tin Pan Alley songsmith. And we've come to expect nothing short of brilliance from him (which he so perfectly illustrated in the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs). The 6ths is less a band than a studio project, an outlet in which Merritt's higher-marquee friends get to cover the songwriter's ditties. The lineup of guest vocalists on Hyacinths and Thistles is impressive enough (Gary Numan, Melanie, Bob Mould, Odetta, and Sally Timms, to name a few), but the moments of synth-pop brilliance--Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell on "Kissing Things" and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon on "The Dead Only Quickly"--are few and far between. Odetta's "Waltzing Me All the Way Home" sounds like a heartfelt Tom Waits tune, but it follows Marc Almond's overblown exotica track, "Volcana!" Yes, Mr. Merritt, we know you have a lot of musical friends whose ability to traverse styles (from disco to sea shanty) is impressive. But whereas Wasps' Nests, the 6ths' debut CD, felt like a cohesive song cycle, Hyacinths and Thistles sounds like a thrown-together tribute disc. --Jason Verlinde ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Fails to meet expectations
I can certainly understand other listeners' desire to rush to Merritt's defense on this one -- I'm a devoted, longtime Merritt fan myself, and desperately wanted this to be up to the level of the previous 6ths release (another record on the level of the masterful 69 Love Songs seems like too much to ask). But I have to agree with the sentiments of the Amazon reviewer: this disc is a disappointment. Though some of the lyrics are witty (how could they not be?), musically the album is monotonous: endless slow synth with whispered or mumbled vocals. The effect is less that of a "chamber piece" than of a listless, half-hearted effort. I'll definitely reach for just about any other Merritt record (including his other tossed-off side projects, Future Bible Heroes and Gothic Archies) before I feel inclined to listen to this one.

Delicate chamber-pop
I disagree completely with the Amazon reviewer regarding the cohesiveness of this album. Each track is minimal and subtly arranged, with strong vocal performances from the guest artists. As we've come to expect from Merritt, the recurring theme is love gone sour and moments of fleeting happiness in a blighted life. While Wasps' Nests was a compendium of carnivalesque synth pop featuring a roster of indie luminaries, Hyacinths and Thistles is a more cabaret-like affair, with more stylized vocals and less emphasis on sing-along choruses. In that sense, I would say Wasps' Nests is more of a tribute album than this one, which reflects the diversity of 69 Love Songs in a fraction of the time while retaining the discipline and structure of a proper song cycle. My one complaint is the 24 minutes of languid descending synths that closes the album...10 minutes would have been more than enough.

it will creep into your heart
I suspect that those people who wrote less-than-positive reviews of this album did so without giving it a chance. These are not "one night stand" songs that you jump and thrash around to for a brief moment before moving onto something else. These are songs that you will end up burning on mix CDs you make for your girlfriend, or playing when you miss someone, or having on in the background while you do dishes because they make even that pleasant. They are beautiful songs, sometimes haunting, and perfectly express some of those difficult-to-pin-down relationship moments as only Stephin Merritt can.

It's a world
This being the first record involving Stephin Merritt I've listened to, can't respond to the comparisons with his other records and projects. I've had it in my car CD player for 2 months... it has been the soundtrack to my life, and its power continues to grow. So for me it's very much a whole now; the songs complement and resonate against each other in different ways each time I hear it, and the different timbres of voice populate a complex inner world of dreams. "As you turn to go" would/will probably be on my list of "songs that made me cry" if I would only hear it under certain circumstances... In time even the overblown and out of tune "Volcana" developed a fevered charm and replayed itself in my head. Lovely, timeless, keeper record. If Amazon hadn't deleted my listmania lists, this would've made one...

Good Stuff
yessum this is a mighty fine album here this is.... Damned good mussic ... Read more

Amazon.com

Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante's third solo album isn't far removed from a demo. Taking the idea of a solo album literally, Frusciante is responsible for everything here, playing guitar over drum machines and adding occasional keyboards to the 15 songs, à la Bill Callahan's excellent Smog. The opener "Going Inside" offers promise that To Record will be an entertaining ride thanks to Frusciante's characteristically incandescent fretwork. The project is a little one-dimensional, however, hampered as it is by Frusciante's sub-J. Mascis yelp. --Mike Pattenden ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Frustrating
This album clearly demonstrates that John Frusciante is a great songwriter. Despite the extremely lo-fi recording quality and his sub-par voice, it's consistently intriguing. The problem is, this ain't the kind of music that is enhanced by a lo-fi sound. I can't listen to it without imagining how amazing these songs might sound if they were properly produced. And "properly produced" doesn't have to mean "jazzed up for the commercial market," I'm just talking about an actual recording studio, and perhaps a real drummer instead of repetitive techno loops.

Ultimately, this is a worthwile buy. The songs themselves are fantastic. Just be prepared to be plagued by thoughts of how much better it could've been.

A step in John's upwards trend
"To Record Only Water For Ten Days" is John's 3rd solo album. It didn't make the financial breakthrough "Californication" and "By The Way" did, nor is it better than his masterpiece, "Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt". Nevertheless this record means to us John Frusciante fans what the resurrection of Jesus means to Christians. First, John wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for God. Second, the knowledge of what he went through teaches us a better lesson than most schoolbooks. Third, John's suffering during his drug addiction released the Peppers from their own sins and now they're cleaner and fitter than ever. And still, he had found time to make this beautiful record.

"Going Inside" starts with an amazing distorted guitar riff. From the first line on John Frusciante tells his life experience in clear words, no misunderstanding allowed: "You don't throw your life away going inside." John's vocals are passionate and haunting as ever, but more balanced and more pleasure to listen to than on his previous records. "Someone's", "The First Season", "Fallout", "With No One" and "Representing" are all sad songs but there is a new sense of hope that wasn't present on "Smiles" and "Niandra". As I said, John's voice is already impressive here but this was only a preview of things to come on the Peppers' new record "By The Way" where John's harmonies stand out the most.

"Ramparts" and "Murderers" are beautiful instrumentals and they show once again what this musician is capable of. He's gone through all that pain of drug addiction but the beauty he creates is not less astonishing.

By recording "To Record Only Water For Ten Days" and "By The Way" with RHCP, John Frusciante has finally maintained himself as the musician to look up to these days.

diamond in the rough
I hated the Red Hot Chili Peppers until Californication.

While Flea is amazing and the drummer and singer are solid, John Frusciante is the reason I gave them a chance. His story, not his music is what inspired me. They say he had destroyed himself to the point where he was unrecognizable, he had no teeth, his arms were scarred. I was drawn to the fact that while the rest of the guys were jumping around in their underwear, there was John off to the side totally engrossed in the music, wearing a long sleeve shirt, looking like a wild and peaceful hobo with a street-beard to cover his damaged skin. But the music was better than before; in fact better than the Peppers were capable of sounding.

So when I found out about John's solo release I had to buy it. I hoped it would bring me closer to the experience of renewed hope that John had encountered. It seemed he had suffered something deeply spiritual.

I played the CD and I thought it was terrible.

But then on the fourth or fifth listen, the songs took on a different meaning. I found that when I looked past all the cheapness, the uninspiring cover art, the stupid title, the tinny drum tracks, the out of tune vocal parts, the meaningless lyrics and surprisingly simple guitar parts that there was something very special about it all. It was all the parts coming together to make a statement. Something like "I have tasted death" and have been given another chance. Like the rich man come back from hell to warn everybody. There was a real sorrow to it all.

The man has soul in his music. It's not good. Don't get me wrong - but this is art and don't buy it unless you know how to enjoy the overlooked and the underappreciated aspects of something.

This album is pretty bad - but that's the whole charm. If you can look past the dodgy surface and put up with a bit of ear torture you will eventually see the jewel and it will become one of your favorite pieces of art.

Music for the soul not the ears.

chillin musik
This stuff is wonderful to listen to on an empty highway in the middle of the night, but I am not sure exactly why.

The instrumental murderer's is quite brilliant, and I am starting to with with shadows released, that Mr. Frusciante is the Syd Barret of our time, only John was recalled to life, while Syd is still buried.

Great album
I didn't like it when I first listened to it. I knew it wasn't going to be funky, but I was expecting an album of "Pretty Little Ditty"s and "This Velvet Glove"s. While you can see some similarities, there is a definite difference between this and RHCP. An (extremely) obvious influence of this album is 80's synth pop JF is so fond of. Rarely do you find a song not drenched in synthesizers and electronic drums. Sometimes the synth can get a little over the top (ie the final track). Also, his voice is not good in the conventional sense.

Now the reason why I gave it 5 stars: this man is brilliant at writing songs. I bought this CD and owned it for months before I started listening to it more and soon enough, it was my favorite album. His voice may be strange, but boy does he have soul. I have seen people complain about the production and how he should have used real drums, etc... I'm not going to lie to you, it probably would have been better if he had. But, he did it for a reason. He likes the way elec. drums sound and he loves that kind of music. After listening to it a couple of times, you get used to the synth so it doesn't even matter much anymore. But this is a great album. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Pop fans rejoice: Here's yet another delightful concept album from a member of the Elephant Six family, Of Montreal, who actually hail from Athens, Georgia. Of Montreal are more like third cousins to the E6 clan; their sound is cohesively pop oriented and distinctively quaint. The songs are bouncy, keyboard- and vocal-driven gems that collapse barbershop harmonies and well-enunciated, Tin Pan Alley vocalizations with Anglo mid-'60s pop (especially that of the ever-popular Kinks). The lyrics on Of Montreal's third full-length weave an intricate story in childrens-book logic, with invisible trees, a miniature philosopher, and a cast of hundreds. The words from the buoyant "Fun Loving Nun" (whose chorus appears to have been sung by the mice from Babe) can be seen as The Gay Parade's moral: "Some of us get covered up by the world, become bitter from our loneliness and forget our dreams." --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Gay La Gay La Gee Gay Le Gee Gay la Gee, So Good
This is the closest thing to the Beach Boys 'Smile' I have ever heard, yet it's something totally original and exciting. This is fantastic music, well creafted pop with catchy melodies. The songs feature characters similar to those that fill most loved songs of Paul McCartney. 'Gay Parade' is a great record. Do not live another minute without it. It will brighten your days. Thank you Of Montreal!

Simply amazin, one of the best themed albums ever...
When I first heard Gay Parade I was a bit unsure what to think. They were songs that I quite enjoyed immediately (My Favorite Boxer, Old Familiar Way) and some that made me feel like pushing the Skip Track button (The March of the Gay Parade). The second time I started to enjoy every song more and more, until now, where I love every song on this album completely. The mixture of simple and complex songs, the voice of Kevin Barnes, the theme, everything, it's all pure musical gold.

This album isn't for everyone, it definitely has a children story like quality in many places, but don't let it bother you. If you can learn to get to used to such a theme, it'll make you appreciate this musical masterpiece even more.

More than just "cute"
Of Montreal are not a novelty act. They are musical visionaries. With "The Gay Parade", they have crafted what is easily one of the best "concept" albums since Jethro Tull's "A Passion Play". It's just a mark of how times have changed to realize that 30 years ago, "Passion Play" was a #1 record and "The Gay Parade" will probably only be heard by a few thousand people. Frustratiing, huh?

Anyway, be glad that you are one of the few that cares enough to discover this record. Is it odd? you bet. Quirky, weird, psychedelic. Probably. Cute? No. That does it a disservice. It is a brillinatly conceived song-cycle of character sketches. The characters are, of course, an eccentric lot. A guy obsessed with a certain mean boxer, a widower with his "dogs for friends" awaiting death, a French firemen pining for heroism, an ecstatic dude waxing poetic about mowing the lawn while his wife knits. While the vocals approach giddy and cartoonish, the songs themselves can range for hilarious to rather disturbing--- often with one turn-of-phrase. There is indeed a intangible saddness looming over this private world, despite the Crayola surroundings.

The sound of the record is fascinating. The best thing about bands like Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, etc. is that they know exactly the sonic landscape they wish to create and accomplish it with minimalist recording technology. The result is a sonic juggernaut of an album that sounds at once high-concept and low-fidelity... hiss, tape saturation, drops-outs--- all part of the sound. And it's damn near brilliant. Horns, tape manipulations, choirs of mice, saws, kazoos, plastic guitars--- many of the instruments barely in tune.

To my ear, it sounds like a benediction.

At the end of the record Kevin Barnes advises his listeners that they now know the way into the world of "The Gay Parade" and can return any time they like.... Can't I just set up camp and *stay*, Kev?

Interesting, pretty good, & requires patience...
Take the off-the-wall and (at times) totally insane sounds of highly experimental bands such as Nurse with Wound, Current 93, and The Legendary Pink Dots. Now, consider what would happen if those bands were the house acts for Sesame Street or H.R. Puffenstuff. Next, those bands recruit the Swingle Singers to do the vocals.

While this release is pretty decent, it requires a vast amount of patience. You truly will have to "bend an ear" as they say to make it through some of these tracks. However, if you put in the time (a rare find in these days of "sugar-coated mindless garbage" as Jello Biafra would say), you'll make it through and realize that it's a pretty good album that is....dare I say....eehhemm...."cute."

Also, as a devout Brian Wilson follower, the comparisons made of this outfit to his skills is a bit misplaced. O.M. have the skills, but they do not rise to such a level of greatness. Give them a while though and, perhaps, they may. In the meantime however, they're not half-bad.

Fun, well-done, and one of the best Elephant 6 albums
When I first bought this album, I was a little annoyed by it. It is EXTREMELY cute, and very fast, a little like Barney on amphetamines. But then I gave it a chance, and I absolutely, 100%, love this album.

THE GAY PARADE is not as silly or shallow as it sounds at first. It really deals with a lot of issues of issues we all deal with, such as feelings of inferiority (on "Hector Comacho"), or else just figuring out what is really meaningful in your life (on the opening track.) Yes, I know, when you hear the album you'll think I may have read way too much into what sounds like an out-of-control carnival. But there is definitely a dark side to this album. This dark side is subtle, but if it weren't, it really would have ruined the album's overall innocent and gleeful tone.

Plus, Of Montreal are great musicians and singers. Their harmonies are perfect, and Kevin Barnes's voice is just loaded with charm. And the guitars, drums, and all the other jillion instruments are all perfectly produced; there's a lot of sound here, but it's not at all extraneous. It is really a great album just on the musical level.

If I still haven't convinced you to buy THE GAY PARADE, then I just have to say "Nickee Coco and the Invisible Tree" is one of the most joyful and hilarious songs around. It alone would be a great album!

You don't hear much joy and happiness in music these days, and THE GAY PARADE is a great place to start. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From Stephin Merrit's Gay and Loud publishing comes the first volume of the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs, a misleadingly quiet epic of a thing. From the layered feedback of "Don't Fall in Love with Me," followed by the plinky strum of his uke through to a Merrittian 23rd psalm, "The Things We Did," this volume, more than the others, hearkens back to the gloriously distorted acoustic agitation visited on The Charm of the Highway Strip. Ever the sad sack, Merritt's characters "don't believe in the sun" and drolly proclaim themselves "ugly" and the stars so "fucking romantic." Dishing up clichés like ice cream cones at a Baskin-Robbins, Merritt's lyrics take on self-involved weightiness in the context of his over-the-top conventions. Marrying electronic elements with banjo, cello, mandolin, piano, accordian, and percussion, these little numbers--sung by a revolving cast of Merritt and cohorts--riff on everything from punk rock to madrigals to Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash-style balladry, coming across as preposterously vaudevillian and Brechtian, rather than vacuous. --Paige La Grone ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A Starting Point for the 69 Love Songs.
Stephin Merrit is a poet, and the 69 Love Songs are a testament to his skill. In them he wades through the viscissitudes of love from many vantages. I can't decide between volume 1 and volume 3 as my favorite. Volume 1 of course is a logical starting point and contains simple, majestic tunes like #2 "I Don't Believe in the Sun," #6 "I Don't Want to Get Over You," #8 "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side," and #12 "The Book of Love" (I like the lyrics here a lot). The album contains not only marvelous lyricism but also appropriate instrumentation and ornamentation. The occasional electronic flourishes are reminiscent of the great Magnetic Fields release Holiday and provide just the right touch at times. Volume 1 of the 69 Love Songs is a recommended album for those who are new to the Magnetic Fields as well as long-time fans who haven't gotten into the box set yet.

Music for the soul
Today, when most pop songs are simple to the point of vapidity, both musically and lyrically, it is refreshing to find something like this album. Merritt blends perfectly the beautiful melodies with clever, witty lyrics as he explores all forms of love from the disguised lament of the ugly teenager and the hopelessness of the spurned lover to the joyous proclamations of those that have found true love. He matches musical genre to the message of the song and makes effortless transitions between each. The voices of the songs have true emotion in them and successfully vary in tone so as to augment the lyrics. Claudia Gonson's voice is beautiful and brilliant, constrasting nicely with Merritt's deep bass. My only complaint is that Claudia ought to sing more. To summarise as best I can, this music is poetry, philosophy and melody. It is dark and insightful, naive in places, cynical in others, but never depressing. A true masterpiece.

If you only buy one disc of 69 LS,
then disc one is probably the one to get. The ratio of brilliant to merely good songs is higher, perhaps, than on any other Magnetic Fields CD; favorites include "I Think I Need a New Heart," "Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side," and "All My Little Words," an irresistably hooky psuedo-bluegrass lament about the futility of clever songwriting (penned, of course, by pop music's supreme ironist). Come to think of it, if you buy disc one and you have any taste at all, you'll end up getting the others as well -- you might as well get the box set.

I usually hate "songwriters"
But this is great stuff. The lyrics are clear, funny and poignant. The melodies are smart and beautiful. You can't help but get a kick out of it, which is surprising for something so stark, minimalist, dark, and sad underneath. Your kids would probably love it, if you don't mind the occasional bleep word. I keep this one in the cd player in my kitchen so I can sing along while chopping up potatoes.

Classic
The first volume of 69 Love Songs is in my opinion the best of the lot, the classic disc. The songs are in a bunch of different styles, but there are all catchy and have something to say. Well, "Punk Rock Love" is a novelty song, but the rest are great. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 6ths are not so much a band as a forum to showcase the synth pop writing and arranging talents that Stephin Merritt normally reserves for his sometimes solo, sometimes group, project, the Magnetic Fields. On Wasps' Nests, the songwriter's first major-label release, 16 indie rock stars, from Superchunk's Mac McCaughan to Unrest/Air Miami's Mark Robinson take turns singing new Merritt compositions.

But for all the reinterpreting you'd expect from staunch individualists like Sebadoh's Lou Barlow, Wasps' Nests is surprisingly unified. Perhaps because the music and production is all Merritt's, none of the voices do much to alter the essential qualities of the songs' form and style. Every vocal performance, from the airy soprano of Heavenly's Amelia Fletcher on "Looking For Love (In the Hall of Mirrors)" to Merritt's own brooding bass on "Aging Spinsters," is moving but inconsequential to the music's identity.

Just as well. Wasps' Nests is designed to highlight Merritt, the writer and arranger. As he clarified last year on the Magnetic Fields' brilliant The Charm of the Highway Strip, Merritt is the rare pop composer to ingest all the greats before him--from Bacharach and David to Morrissey and Marr--and to applie their infectious melodic gifts and lyrical grace to the sounds and tools of the day. Merritt's weapon of choice: the multilayered metallic drone and zap of the computerized keyboard. And he slays us every time. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Lush synth-pop with hipper-than-hip vocal support.
Pop Kulcher Review: Stephin Merritt writes sensitive pop-poetry, and his band, the Magnetic Fields, has put out some albums of melodic ditties with lovelorn lyrics and lo-fi (primarily synthesizer-driven) instrumentation. But far better is this one-shot effort as The 6ths (the band name & album title were chosen as a tongue-twister: try saying it out loud), in which Merritt turns over vocal duties to a Who's Who of alternative rock heroes (including Dean Wareham of Luna, Lou Barlow of Sebadoh, Mac McCaughan of Superchunk, Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo, Robert Scott of the Bats, Mitch Easter, Barbara Manning, etc.). So the album manages to sound a bit like a cover-song compilation, with Merritt's sweet melodies, quiet keyboards and guitars, and simple but moving lyrics being the constants holding the whole thing together. It's a lush treat that should not be missed.

one of the best "pop" albums of the nineties
These sixteen songs are so wonderfully catchy, so beautifully composed, so attractive in a good poppy way, that they'll stick in your head for years. I'm living proof -- I first heard these songs in early 2000, and I'm still humming "Movies In My Head." Four years. Believe me, these songs just simply never, ever get old! It's pretty weird, but it's completely true.

Stephin Merritt is a genius. He's probably the most prolific songwriter out there right now (or was, considering Ryan Adams... ugh) that also consistently writes compelling, interesting, and wonderful music. "69 Love Songs" is a great example.

For this release, he somehow found fifteen of the greatest indie vocalists around. Barbara Manning, Lou Barlow (of Sebadoh), Georgia Hubley (of Yo La Tengo), Mac MacCaughan (of Superchunk -- he also runs Merge Records, home of many Magnetic Fields releases), Mark Robinson (of Unrest -- he also runs the wonderful TeenBeat label), Amelia Fletcher (of Heavenly), Dean Wareham (of indie heroes Galaxie 500), Mary Timony (of Helium), and more -- including himself. It's just simply astounding.

If you have any sense, do yourself a favor and purchase this album. It's worth every single penny.

My Favorite Songwriter
Just FYI: "All Dressed Up in Dreams" is the song in that American Eagle Outfitters holiday commercial. The best music I've heard on Mtv (in between its boring shows) this year!

The Unbridled Passions of Stephen Merritt
The cult-ish alternative art-music world is very protective of its undisputed icons. It makes an almost sickly-sweet sense, therefore, that the genius of Stephen Merritt is relegated solely to the depths of the bristling underground.

Merritt has several bands. The most visible, perhaps, is the Magnetic Fields, whose breathtaking "69 Love Songs", the triple-disc salute to just that, re-defined the concept of lo-fi art pop, as it seemingly re-designed the basic love song, and created a Morrissey-style following.

Merritt has other bands: the Gothic Archies, the Future Bible Heroes, and the 6ths. While the 6ths have a more recent release, the titles always swooning with alliteration, "Hyacinths and Thistles" a strange cabaret-style collection of lonely lullabies and longings, it is "Wasps Nests" that seems the prequel to the brilliance of "69 Love Songs" and in many ways remains its brooding antithesis.

The songs on this album are invariably about breaking up, having the flame die and eventually go out, leaving only a thin wisp of smoke in its place. They subvert basic rhythm and song structure by having poppy, up-tempo melodies, which makes the cutting lyrics that much more comical: "...Every kiss means less and less...I'm falling out of love with you!"

Merritt has always displayed his strengths as a producer, arranger, musician, and Oscar Wildean songwriter for the modern world. Increasingly over time, Merritt has taken on the vocal duties as well. His low droning baritone is not for all tastes. But Merritt himself sings only one song here, the quirky "Aging Spinsters" while he delegates the other 14 tracks to various superstars of the indie-rock scene, such as Robert Scott, Barbara Manning, and Lou Barlow, most of whom sound exactly like Merritt. I personally like Merritt's voice. To me, it has character and personality, and matches the sardonic licks of his songwriting all too well.

You will need to listen to this CD several times. The first two or three times, all the songs sound overly similar. There is a neat parallel to their melodies, a thread throughout that binds all these musical tales together. The vocals echo, call to you from what sounds like a spraying waterfall, diminished by the seething bee-bopping synth-pop that the production has placed at the forefront of the record. This is certainly a unique and specific production choice, and again, will not be to all tastes. Merritt has always admired the retro-style of the 80s, more apparent on the first Future Bible Heroes CD (which really does sound like a lost 80s masterwork) but does implement that style here, to good, almost ironic, effect.

My favorite song on this CD, sung by Mitch Easter, is called "Pillow Fight." It sounds like a Top 40 radio hit from 1985, but astonishlingly manages severe melancholia, and I find it to be one of the most weirdly-haunting songs I have every heard: "How sad the castle with no foundation underground / Sadder still is the lover with no mystery left unfound. / You threaten to pack your trunks and go back to Chinatown.../Are we breaking up tonight or can we have a pillow fight?" Other beautific tracks include the first, "San Diego Zoo" which boasts stunningly simplistic songwriting from Merritt punctuated by the dagger-like hook: "How could I have ever left you??" "Puerto Rico Way", "In The City in the Rain", "All Dressed Up in Dreams" are some other stand-outs, but really, all the songs are eerily strong. This is a unique album worth having.

The liner notes include all the lyrics and short biographical statements placing the vocalists, many of whom I had never heard of. And now there's 14 other artists I can check out!

brilliant
i found this cd and stephen merritt in general from the show adventures of pete and pete.

just buy this ok? youll be singing every damn song on here. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

makes me think of the ocean on a foggy dawn
I must confess, it took me a few weeks to get into this album. I slowly waded into it - and waded is the right word, because this album, for me anyway, has a very distinct sea-influence, like the songs rose up from a foggy coastline - it's just thick with atmosphere, this album. The vocalist has a bit of a whiney sound sometime, but after repeated listen I really feel comfortable with his voice - he is passionate, and I prefer passion to stale vocals that don't take any risks. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and organs abound - very nice instrumentation - the quicker tempo tracks are very very good - I love the last song with its mandolin flourishes and sing along ending - I think this album deserves to be heard - any Wilco or Decemberists fan would probably dig this sound - check it out! Enjoy!

I just don't hear it.
Obviously some people really love this album. It is well put together, and the songcraft is admirable. Still, it doesn't really do it for me. I don't much care for the singer's voice, and nothing about the arrangements really grabs me. There are points where the arrangements are trying to be unusual, but they don't seem to work. It all just sounds a bit mopey. It's not that I don't like a bit of slowness and melancholia in my music sometimes, but this one just doesn't flip my pancakes. Apparently it works for some people.

Best stomache ache you'll ever get
We all know amazon reviews are the most biased opinions you can get anywhere - every cd is apparently the best one in the world. I'd say in recent years there have been a lot of 4.5 star cd's out there, excellent, worth listening to for months straight, but not quite deadly. This cd is absolutely deadly.. i'm not much for the nu folk scene, and wilco isnt my cup of tea.. but theres somethign undeniable here. Buy this album. If you have a soul, it will thank you.

Down the River of Golden Songs!!!!
I don't even feel I can put into words how I feel about this CD. These songs I guarantee will touch you. If you are up for sadness and a touch of magic. Buy it. Just buy it.

if you hype it they will buy
a little to much like there influences.not bad music but theres deffinetly better.for the other reviwer,song number five is not the song i would sit around dreaming i could write.if this is as deep as it gets i really dont know what the world is coming to musically.dont believe all the hype.there are way better artists and records out there to spend your hard earned cash on.people who are obsessing over these guys just dont put in enough time and effort to find them.just for the record the singer also looks to have a slight case of down syndrome?????? ... Read more

Album Description

The second record from Brooklyn, New York's Say Hi To Your Mom is a stunning collection of catchy indie pop.Numbers & Mumbles builds on the quirky formula found on 2002's Discosadness, but the new record is often more upbeat than the last, maintaining indie integrity but certainly crammed with hooks. Electric guitars and gurgling synths spatter over indie, pop, punk and rock rhythms. Songs present characters who contemplate spaceships, circus tricks, Brooklyn hipsters, tractor beams, secret decoder rings, kisses, bus trips, Sweden, family quotas, tee-ball, meter maids, futurism, moon bounces and more. But do no mistake the topic nature for a lack of poignancy, the band simply refuses to take itself too seriously. Say Hi's minimalist pop has been compared to Grandaddy, Bright Eyes, Pavement, Radiohead, The Pixies, The Velvet Underground, Momus and others. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Best out there in 2004
This is probably the best album I have heard this year. I think Eric Elbogen's sense of style and lyrical content makes this album a necessity in the collection. My only wish is to hear more flexibility in Eric's vocals, as seen in Laundry from Discosadness. Also, if you purchase the album from sayhitoyourmom.com you get a cool robot sticker, which I in turn converted into a fridge magnet!

Great album.. tops my playlist
This is the best album I've listened to in the last year.. really! I've played it so much that every track is on the Top-25 played list on my iPod/iTunes. I would love to try to classify it or compare it so other bands, but I really can't think of a comparison that would do this album justice.. get it, you won't be disappointed.

Really great nerd songs that speak to a lost generation
Along with Bishop Allen and the Weakerthans, I just can't get "Say hi to your mom"'s Numbers & Mumbles out of my rotation. Catchy (and insightful?) lyrics mixed with great synth-pop. Really top-notch album.

Awesome!
I saw these guys play with The Wrens at The Crocodile in Seattle and they blew me away: amazing melodies, intresting lyrics and cool, fun sounds. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sweet and sour, incurably romantic, and deeply misanthropic, Magnetic Fields' mastermind Stephin Merritt is a one-of-a-kind voice in modern lo-fi pop. This 1994 outing is a bit of a departure, with Merritt taking his trademark ABBA-styled Casio-pop for a spin in the country--literally. Awash in lush, Nashville-ready production, songs like the doleful "Lonely Highway" (which encompasses snatches of the Lee Hazelwood classic "Jackson") and "Born on a Train" are nothing short of thrilling. But much of this particular stretch of the Fields is lacking in charm, since Merritt's wry stance chafes a bit too hard against the guileless melodies. Completists may feel compelled to take a ride, but novices should probably stick to the more urbane journeys offered by Holiday and Distant Plastic Trees. --David Sprague ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The essential Magnetic Fields recording.
I recommend this album for those curious about Magnetic Fields but intimidated by the sprawl (and cost) of "69 Love Songs". "Charm" is a warm, yet detached, study of the Country idiom that evokes the constant loss and loneliness of a transient lifestyle. The music is composed of unique and creative synthetic textures cast over common chord progressions, and a listener familiar with the Country music of the 60s and 70s will recognize many familiar melodies and themes. The vocals are reminiscent of a dispassionate Ian Curtis or Johnny Cash. I have no qualms about calling "Charm" the essential Magnetic Fields recording -- I bought this album in 1995 and have not exhausted it yet.

The ultimate nighttime travel companion
Most people who listen to the Magnetic Fields tend to prefer Stephin Merritt's more pop-oriented releases like HOLIDAY or DISTANT PLASTIC TREES/THE WAYWARD BUS. True, Merritt excels at creating beautiful ABBAesque homemade songs and often resembles a modern-day Phil Spector. However, THE CHARM OF THE HIGHWAY STRIP is unquestionably my favorite Magnetic Fields release. It is likely due to the consistent travel theme throughout -- a cohesiveness that lacks in his previous efforts. If you are looking for catchy singles, I'd suggest the other albums -- they offer some great immediate fixes. But if you are like me, and prefer the complexities of a forty-minute mini-concept album, this one is for you. It is a gorgeous collection of dark songs combined with the Stephin Merritt's usual wit.

this album charmed me senseless
Seriously, if you are a magnetic fields fan, BUY THIS. You may not prefer the more dark, country, sound of this album as opposed to the often springy 69 love songs, but i guarantee you, there is no way not to fall in love with this album. By my second listen, this album was already sacred to me, and right now it is sitting in its case after my last spurt of listenings, waiting patiently until the time is right for me to take it out again. My nightmare would be to overplay this album. Stephen Merrit's low voice will make you feel lonely as he sings of a girl's fear of trains, or a lonesome highway, but at the same time he soothes you, in making you too feel like an explorer on some vast, endless highway. The songs on this album make you feel that while you may be lonely, it's an almost noble thing to be.

Yaz heads West
Could it possibly be the first electronic country record ever? It is Yaz meets the American West. Complete with cold chilly sometimes bouncy beats, Stephen Merritt croons of trains, lost lovers and the open road. This record is nothing short of a masterpiece concept album.

Add to the synth beats a synthesizer banjo, guitars and that familiar baritone croon to get that real country feel. It is at times sad and sometimes funny. Listen to the story about a woman who is effected by the trains in her life "Fear of Trains". The irony is thick, clever and the characters are always interesting.

A must have for any collection!

A good introduction to the Magnetic Fields.
Even though this is diffrent from other Magnetic Fields cds, I would say it's a good place to start. It's by far their most consistant album. All the songs on here are standouts. The title and cover are very fitting for the songs. By the time it's over you'll want to go on your own 'Kerouacian' adventure. ... Read more