Amazon.com

Singles and Beyond--the Olivia Tremor Control's collection of early singles, EPs, and rarities--serves as a sprawling 20-track document of the band's work from 1992 to 1995. Compiled in chronological order by OTC frontmen William Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, Singles and Beyond offers fans a chance to finally hear much of the band's out-of-print and hard-to-find early work all on one disc. As one would expect, OTC covers a lot of ground on Singles, tracing their evolution from the four-track psychedelic noodling of their debut EP, "California Demise," to their stunning Giant Day EP, to their groundbreaking double record, Dusk at Cubist Castle. With brief blasts of divergent sounds, OTC peppers the compilation with the collages of experimental noise and indulgent multitracking that have become their trademark. However, the record's best moments occur when the band members stop fiddling with their knobs and simply play the amazing psychedelic pop gems that they seemingly toss off at will. With its ringing guitar refrain, "Love Athena" almost sounds like the Flaming Lips, while "Fireplace" and "Beneath the Climb" sound like missing tracks from the Meat Puppets' acid-drenched best. OTC's fixation with '60s psychedelia is evident on "I'm Not Human" and "A Sunshine Fix," which play like lo-fi outtakes from the Beach Boys' Smile sessions. Likewise, the songs from The Giant Day EP manage the seemingly impossible task of evoking both Harry Nilsson's The Point! and Pink Floyd's Ummagumma. Singles shouldn't serve as an introduction to OTC, as the bursts of brilliance are too random and ephemeral for the uninitiated. But to OTC fans, it will be an invaluable addition to their collection. --Paul Ducey ... Read more

Reviews (9)

a hodge-podge in the best sense of the word...
"Singles and Beyond" is the only OTC album currently in print in US, and therefore will wind up being the first and maybe only OTC album in new fans' collections. I only got into Olivia recently, by way of Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal, so I was left with little choice but to buy Singles while waiting to find imports or collectible versions of the two "real" albums. That said, Singles is pretty enjoyable in its own right. As befits an Elephant 6 band (THE Elephant 6 band, some would say) for every moment of lo-fi pop-perfection, there are moments (sometimes no less compelling) of Eno-esque nob-twiddling. Also, even in this collection of early work, there seems to be the trademark oblique narratives and themes that exist in many E6 albums--- childhood dreams, fractured memories, fantastic worlds within worlds--- which bind it together as a coherent whole. It is best listened to as an album, start to finish. The melodies are often incredibly infectious and also ragged. This is shambolic, experimental pop of the highest order.

However, having heard the two proper OTC albums, I must say they are both vastly superior and more thematically coherent. So, only start with Singles if you have no other choice.

A very mixed bag
Unlike the two proper studio albums that OTC put out, this is merely a collection of odds and sods, including songs from their "Giant Day" EP and other early songs that didn't make it to albums. It's not a collection of "singles" in the traditional sense of "hits." And a lot of the album consists of stuff that qualifies as more "beyond" than "single."

Gone are the multiple layers of instrumentation. Gone is the cohesiveness and flow. This is just a bunch of early songs and sound experiments, with decidedly mixed results.

Track by track:

1. Love Athena -- best song on the album. Great power-chord track.

2. Today I Lost A Tooth -- a 1:18 minute track with spare instrumentation. It's about as big of a deal as its title.

3 & 4. California Demise 1 & 2 -- Forget your memory of the great California Demise 3 from Black Foliage. These two earlier songs consist of a simple chord progression, a few backwards guitars, and "ooo ba ba nya nya nya" serving as the lyrics.

5. A Sunshine Fix -- I like this one. A bit ominous sounding. Cool brass line. Sort of a carnival-sounding break after the verses.

6. Fireplace -- I dig this one a lot. It really sounds like a great lost psychedelic song from '68.

7. Collage #1 -- Fun with tape loops and random studio knob-twiddling. Program your CD player around this.

8. Beneath The Climb -- starts with the spoken word "Apples." And it sounds like an Apples In Stereo song. Very poppy. Has a bit of a Thirteenth Floor Elevators jug sound in the background at certain points.

9. I Won This Dog At The Dirtwood... -- lasts a little over a minute. Nothing special. Sounds like an idea for a song that never really got off the ground.

10. Christmas With William S. -- another annoying sound collage. Skip over this one.

11. The Giant Day -- starts out promisingly, with a cool staccato guitar riff, but sort of ends up being a muddled affair that never really goes anywhere before ending abruptly after less than 2 minutes.

12. Shaving Spiders -- teeters halfway between being a real song and a sound collage. Lots of weird noises that don't really enhance the song. Not too crazy about this one.

13. The Princess Turns The Key To Cubist Castle -- Mellow, piano-driven song for its first half, strange guitar noises for the second. Ends with percussion. Not terrible, but not terribly great either.

14. Curtain Call Pt. 3 -- lyrics spoken on every on-beat, then degenerates into a strange ending. Not that great.

15. I'm Not Feeling Human -- another song idea that didn't really end up being fleshed out into a song. This lasts less than 2 minutes. It's just OK.

16. The Giant Day (Dusk) -- another 1/4 of a song that quickly degenerates into a sound collage. Someone was having a lot of fun slicing and dicing on this one. Too bad it's not very fun for listeners.

17. Late Music 2 -- arrrggh, yet ANOTHER directionless sound collage that sounds like something a three-year old could've put together by pressing studio buttons as if it were a busy box.

18. Gypsum Oil Field Fire -- pretty much stays on one chord throughout. Degenerates into noodling at the end. Not much to write home about.

19. King Of The Claws -- this one would be pleasant except for the annoying skipping guitar line that plays over the first verse. Otherwise, pretty cool.

20. The Ships -- this song has vocals that are broken up as if sliced by helicopter blades. Then about 2 minutes into it, about all you hear is helicopter-like blades. Then it shifts into a lot of unfocused instrumental weirdness. Another somewhat interesting song that degenerates halfway through.

So, a few good songs -- Love Athena, A Sunshine Fix, and Fireplace being the best of them -- and a lot of throwaway stuff. Still, it's interesting enough for OTC fans. Just don't expect a "Dusk" or "Foliage."

Fans will enjoy it...
The OTC have never quite earned a solid place in my list of favorites like many other Elephant 6 bands have (NMH, Apples, etc). Their major flaw is the experimental "noise" tracks that litter their albums. This type of filler is rather frustrating when coupled with their alredy inconsistant songwriting. That being said, I went into this collection of the bands early tracks with low expectations. Luckily, this album managed to deliver more than I thought it would. This one does have the usual staple of noise tracks, especially in the latter half, but they aren't as grating as say, the incredibly long green typewriters tracks. Several of the proper songs are also rather disposable, such as "Today I Lost a Tooth" or the unlistenable "I Won This Dog..." The standout tracks, however, are some of the bands best ever. "Love Athena," "The Giant Day," "I'm Not Feeling Human," and the wonderful "Fireplace" all send this cd above even the much heralded Cubist Castle album. If you are new to OTC, check out Black Foliage, but if you already enjoy their style, you'll enjoy this. See if you can't pick up a used copy.

The Olivias can do no wrong
Olivia Tremor Control's Singles and Beyond is an excellent sampler of the differents sides of this Elephant 6 superstar. Included on this disc are some of the psychedelic pop gems that the band is known for, as well as some "noise" tracks. While the noise may not be for everyone, the pop tunes will sound amazing to almost any ear. Keep in mind however, that this is a reissue of some early material. Part of the magic of this band is that their albums are basically incredible home recordings, and this is no exception, yet this collection documents an era when the Olivia's were still mastering their craft. To those who don't enjoy lo-fi multitrack recordings, this is not for you. For all serious fans of the genre, this album is definately a must own. Included on this collection are some of my favorite OTC tracks to date (Love Athena, The Curtain Call trilogy, The Giant Day, Gypsum Oil Field Fire, etc.)

only for die-hard fans (like me:)
If you're new to the Olivia Tremor Control, get Black Foliage. It's incredible. This, however, is a horribly mixed effort, a collection of everything they did between their debut (the California Demise 7") and their first full (well, double) album, Dusk at Cubist Castle. There is some great stuff on here--notably the songs "Beneath the Climb" (sounding surprisingly mainstream and Guided-By-Voices-ish, but still horribly catchy), "Fireplace" (the savior of the California Demise 7", and a great vehicle for Jeff Mangum to sing Really Low), "The Giant Day" (argh, too catchy, get it out of my head!!), and "I'm Not Feeling Human" (the obligatory vegetable song that any Beach Boys-inspired band must live up to). There's also "Collage #2", which is by far their most fun sound collage, because you can recognize bits of stuff from "Courtyard", "The Sylvan Screen" and other later songs hidden in it. However, the majority of this CD is purely and utterly horrible. From embarassments like "Today I Lost a Tooth" to pointless experimental wanking like "Late Music 2" (I love experimentalism, and it works very well on Black Foliage, but that's because of something called CONTEXT, which is lacking here) to whiny clunkers like "I Won This Dog at the Driftwood Reunion Festival", this is by far OTC's worst release still in print. ... Read more

Album Description

The problem with almost every contemporary female vocalist is that they’re always pretending to be something that they’re not. Sometimes it’s a highly feminine, sophisticated, sexual, love-lost artist with her heart on her sleeve…always pretending that she actually feels something or singing about a great love she never had. The Moldy Peaches co-founder (and goddaughter of Antifolk) Kimya Dawson succeeds by simply being true to herself. There is no empty space between her visions. There is no filler in her songs. Kimya Dawson prevails by being tender, vulnerable, silly and raw. She shows you what she loves and makes you love it, too. She is the quintessential authentic bohemian artist – what almost every smoky nightclub jazz chanteuse wishes she could be. Dawson is the artist-poet skateboard girl. And, most importantly, she is a delicate human sensing device, the only real human on a planet full of androids. What makes her music so unique and amazing is her undiluted humanity; comparable only to Richard Pryor in the way she uses humor and sorrow combined as a personal healing device. Kimya Dawson’s new album, Hidden Vagenda (her first studio album after a trilogy of home recordings from 2000 –2003) was recorded in the Bay Area at Mourningwood Studios and in friends’ bedrooms, garages and yards. While recording, Dawson was joined by friends Joe Gore, Arion Salazar, Stephan Jenkins, Daniel Johnston, Vanessa Carlton and a children’s choir in St. Ouen, France. Hidden Vagenda was co-produced and mixed by Jason Carmer (The Donnas, Run DMC, Third Eye Blind), Arion Salazar and Kimya Dawson. ... Read more

Reviews (63)

the kind of music your parents hate...
...you know, unintelligible lyrics, out of tune guitars, the f word -- great work guys!

saw these guys live in japan once. they were awful. would have gotten booed off the stage in the states, the japanese kids just stood there looking befuddled. lesson: save the money you would have spent on tix and just buy this disk.

i actually wrote the better part of a book listening to this cd on three different continents -- considered thanking the band in the acknowledgements -- the perfect portable accompaniment to any alien environment.

the disk is solid from start to finish. favorite cuts: "unfair," the bands exploration of californian geography hydraulically and culturally, "5-4=unity" which is what happens when a bunch of slackers take on dave brubeck's favorite time signature, on "range life" pavement does country complete with venomous put-downs of other bands, and "fillmore jive," what it means to be old when you're, like, 30. "silence kit" is a great song and "cut your hair" was their mtv hit when mtv still showed music videos. carry, on boys.

Brilliant Follow-Up To Slanted And Enchanted
To follow-up a brilliant album such as Slanted And Enchanted has to be hard. In many cases, artists follow-up a classic album with a very, very good album, but the follow-up is criticized and overlooked since it can't compare with the previous album. But Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is just as good as Slanted And Enchanted and is a very worthy follow-up to that classic album. The sound isn't as lo-fi, but it's just as good. "Silence Kid," "Elevate Me Later," and "Cut Your Hair" are all fantastic upbeat rockers while "Gold Soundz" has to be one of Pavement's greatest achievements. The country-flavored "Range Life" works brilliantly while "Unfair" and "Hit The Plane Down" move into the darker or more experimental territory of songs like "Conduit For Sale" and "No Life Singed Her." Pavement fans must own this. Along with Slanted..., this is one of the most overlooked albums ever. Rock fans should definitely pick up some releases by Pavement if they haven't already heard of them.

Not perfect, but definitley enjoyable
Over the past 2 years, Stephen Malkmus work with both Pavement and the Jicks has become a staple in my music collection. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is no exception.
1. Silence Kit: Starts off meandering, then turns into a steady, anthemic, pop-rock song.
2. Elevate Me Later: Your standard indie-pop song, with trademark Malkmus lyricism "...range roving cinema stars, I wouldn't want to shake their hands cause they're in such a high-protein land."
3. Stop Breathin: Didn't like this track at first, but now I love it. Dark, slow, with a fantastically simple and memorable chorus.
4. Cut Your Hair: This more of the same fun, catchy, pop rock, with a blatantly sarcastic Stephen Malkmus poking fun at the music industry.
5. Newark Wilder: Sounds kinda like filler. Too soft with not much flow or substance.
6. Unfair: High energy, punky song with another fantastic, sing along chorus.
7. Gold Soundz: One of my favorites. The songs bounces and rolls along steadily with heartfelt melodies and obscure lyrics.
8. 5-4=Unity: Quirky, odd instrumental ditty. Another one of my favorites.
9. Range Life: My personal favorite. Five minutes of folky, soft-spoken, pop rock. Malkmus comes down to earth on this song's lyrics for a change, and what we hear is Malkmus pondering about his life and the world he lives in.
10. Heaven is a truck: Filler. Nothing special here.
11. Hit the plane down: I guess this was their shot at playing something harder than usual, but it's strange, cause this song fails, but they had it right on Unfair only 5 tracks earlier.
12. Filmore Jive: Slow, spaced out. Decent song if you can actual immerse yourself in it, which is kind of difficult.

I saw another band just the other day, a special new band...
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain seems to take on the notion that to understand the slacker generation, they'd have to recreate them sonically. For a while, that creates the four best songs the band has ever made, coming immediately at the record, climaxing with "Cut Your Hair," an anti-alternative anthem that accidentally hits the nail on the head. The rest of the album is good enough, but lags into sloppiness willfully - which is fine enough for a concept, but gets rote to listen to (the band seems to be falling asleep themselves in "Heaven is a Truck"). Still, the cry of "I need to sleep" that closes the record carries weight, and it's because, for the most part, Pavement's slackerdom applies to concept only, not to musicianship and production.

Pretty Good
"Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" has a lot of great tracks, a few good tracks, and no bad tracks. "Silence Kit", "Newark Wilder", and "Range Life" are ok, while "Elevate Me Later", "Cut Your Hair", "Unfair", and "Fillmore Jive" are great. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On the new album by his solo project Marbles, Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo takes a breather from sunnily updated, ultra-catchy ‘60s indie-pop for a detour down the road of… sunnily updated and almost as catchy ‘80s pop. But before you go worrying that the recording auteur of the Elephant Six scene has jumped onto some sort of ‘80s bandwagon, there's nothing electro or disco-punk about this record, at all. It's also largely, blessedly un-ironic. Schneider wanted it to sound like "Gary Numan meets ELO." And by gum, that's a pretty accurate description! Half the album is a bit throwaway, sounding like background music from a cool cartoon or something, but the other half is exactly the kind of perfect pop one expects from Schneider. Expo is not in the same league as classic Apples, but it's the best solo effort by Schneider thus far. "Magic," for instance, has a Game Theory-ish, nu wave Big Star thing going on that's irresistible.--Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Designing "Expo"
Rob Schneider can do it all, and he seems to be determined to. As well as fronting psychpop band the Apples In Stereo, Schneider has also managed to perform solo in two side bands. One is the ultrastark Ulyssess, while the other is whimsical odds-and-ends band the Marbles.

But with "Expo," Schneider seems to have decided to treat the Marbles... seriously. While the debut "Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites" was a chimey lo-fi mishmash, "Expo" is a slicker, colder, and far more polished effort. It's a fun listen, but lacks the unpretentious sweetness of the previous Marbles album.

This time around, Schneider goes pure pop, with nods to the eighties and a strong new wave influence. No lo-fi-ness here -- it's all carefully polished synth waves over gritty guitar riffs. Bu t there are some forays into whimsy: The title track is a one-minute solo, with interwoven little synth melodies that bounce like a sparkling ball.

When dissected, the music is actually pretty simple -- guitar melodies with sheets, waves and doodles of electronica over it. It's a pleasant enough listen, but it lacks the warmth of Schneider's earlier -- albeit sloppier -- work. One of the biggest flaws is that Schneider's voice is buried in the mix. Really, in the heavy-synth songs Scheider sounds like the illicit love child of Devo and the Beach Boys.

Don't get me wrong, "Expo" is fun to listen to -- it's catchy and sweet, in a slick candy-coated way. The instrumentals, if you can call them that, are a bit more eerie and less poppy. And "Hello Sun" is the most enjoyable song that the Polyphonic Spree never made, with Schneider letting rip with joyous calls of "Hello SUN!"

This is not the Marbles as you know it, but it is a fun, synth-heavy little psychpop album. But it may leave you longing for the next Apples in Stereo album, to hear Schneider at his best. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not the ultimate album side of Bee Thousand, the album that will always be their high-water mark, Guided by Voices' Under the Bushes, Under the Stars's songs are more fully realized. Familiar bits and pieces continue to shine through, with basement Beatles and backyard Who here, and New Zealand lo-fi and acoustic Led Zepplin there. Bob Pollard and Tobon Sprout's ideas, still impeccably timeless hooks that cut through the murk to reveal the scratchy pop gem within, are examined and, maybe for the first time in the band's canon, thoroughly re-examined in the drawn-out song structures. Still, you could fit a baker's dozen of Guided by Voices tunes inside somebody else's hidden track, and have room enough left over for "Girlfriend in a Coma." Comfortably. Not all the songs stand up to the scrutiny, but the majority of GBV's tunes, as always, reveal the joy of the most minute moments that the majority of rock bands crash through while admiring the forest and missing the trees (bushes?). And no one knows the lexicon more thoroughly than GBV do. --Randy Silver ... Read more

Reviews (16)

They finally got recognized in obscurity...
Thanks to this album and Do The Collapse, I am now a tremendous fan of GBV. This album is great, highly imaginative, and clever. As someone said before, it's brilliant! Through the lo-fi aesthetic, Pollard takes you to surrealistic, bizzare worlds which have strange (and sometimes sad) tales to tell. Thanks to this, I am now on a quest to get all of their work. They are creative geniuses! Pollard is an alien! We are all aliens! Yahhhhhhhhhhhh....

Favorite songs: "Bright Paper Werewolves", "Official Ironmen Rally Song", "Redmen & Their Wives", "Cut-Out Witch", "Acorns & Orioles", "Ghosts Of A Different Dream", etc.

Perhaps the most under-rated GBV album¿
This one really sneaks up on you. Songs like "Your Name is Wild" and "Drag Days" haunt you in your sleep after a while... and those aren't even the "singles" on the album. It's produced by Kim Deal too, which, in my opinion, keeps the album from having a definitive "sound," and that's a good thing. Yes, there are some more "taditional gbv" sounds (4-trackish muffle, super-wet vocal fx, etc), as well as some more polished "arena rock"-ish stuff, which keeps it varied and ultimately keeps your interest; aka, your favorite songs after the first week will be quite different than your favorite songs further down the road. And for an album with 20+ tracks, there's really not a stinker in the bunch. And that my friends is a real feat. If you own just one gbv album, this may not be it, but if you own two...

I go Goo Goo For Bobby Pollard
Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!!! What can I say about Bobby Pollard and Da Boyz! Ever since I was 2 1/2 (when my grandfather introduced me to this band) I've been an avid fan. The first album he gave me was Universal Forks and Motorcycles. I fell in love with it instantly. Songs really hit home because I fell into a bit of bad luck with my sugar plum. Bobby really brought me out of this hump w/great songs from this album. I can still remember driving to Lane Bryant with my sugar plum and listening to this album. We'd stop and grab ice cream and put on track 3 and smooch for hours. Good ol Bobby Pollard! This album ranks up there w/Awsome Dre and the Hardcore Committee, Dee Lite, and Sniff and the Tears as the best albums ever. Listen to track 43, it's the hidden track. It gives me goose bumps. I love you Bobby Pollard. Thanks for reading my review. I have to go tinkle now.

Sadly Underrated
Yes, the sprawling lo-fi masterpieces Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes get all the credit, but Under The Bushes Under The Stars is GBV embracing hi-fi production and letting their power-pop brilliance shine through in an easier to swallow form. Some of the best tunes on Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes had strong arena-ready melodies beneath the murky lo-fi hiss and muffles (as evidenced by the hi-fi re-recordings of "Game Of Pricks," "I Am A Scientist," "Motor Away," and "My Valuable Hunting Knife"), and while the lo-fi production allowed for a certain unearthed garage relic feel, GBV sounds just as powerful in a more crystal-clear format. Keep in mind, the production on UTBUTS may still be turn-off for people raised-on radio-ready alt-rock, but it's still a revelation for fans of GBV's earlier work. Which ever side of GBV you prefer, UTBUTS has less fragments and more solid tunes. Despite an almost dark tone at the start of the record, UTBUTS progresses into a set of bright, brilliant pop tunes. The one thing GBV doesn't get credit for is that their albums work really well as full pieces as the fragmented pieces on Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand work better in the context of an album rather than on their own. That said, UTBUTS has so many great songs to choose from: "The Official Ironman Rally Song," "Man Called Aerodynamics," "Don't Stop Now," "Big Boring Wedding," "Your Name Is Wild," "Underwater Explosions," "Drag Days," etc. For those who need a good introduction to Guided By Voices, Under The Bushes... might be the perfect introduction. And for fans, this is a must-have, a incredibly consistent album for a band with a pretty inpenitrable, sometimes spotty discography.

Perhaps GBV's greatest moment
I doubt I'll be able to add much to what has already been said here, but I have come to believe over the years that Under the Bushes is GBV's greatest album (I'm writing this about two weeks after Earthquake Glue was released.) Though Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes always seem to be the two cds most fans and critics apparently think are the band's best work, I believe that time will show this to be the best of a brilliant trio (B1000, AL, UTBUTS). The sound is significantly better though hardly hi fidelity; the songs are better thought out and performed (and there are LOADS of excellent songs on this album); and I think UTBUTS is more consistent than either B1000 or AL. This isn't the album for a newbie to latch onto...that would probably be either any of the GBV albums released from '99 on...but ultimately this is the one! Get it if you enjoy crunchy, melodic, almost-homemade rock and roll. And this is the so-called classic line-up's greatest moment to boot. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the more hauntingly visionary indie-rock artists, Bill Callahan, a.k.a. Smog, writes sparse, poignant songs that shimmer with solipsistic grandeur. His sixth full-length disc, Knock Knock, shivers with restlessness, recounting forlorn tales of imprisoned convicts ("River Guard"), disenfranchised country boys ("Hit the Ground Running"), and unrequited love ("Left Only with Love"). Smog is too well-produced to qualify as lo-fi anymore, but the rich strings, chiming piano, and baleful strums of Knock Knock never detract from the workingman's loneliness of the disc. Like Neil Young's Tonight's the Night, only without the nasal vocals, the album is serene and sedate but nonetheless unsettling, as if the collective scene Callahan creates is merely the calm before the storm. Fortunately, when the melodies seem to drift too close to comatose, the shuffling beat and drifting feedback of "Held," the distorted chug of "No Dancing," and the jangly strum of "Cold Blooded Old Times" keep the needle from flatlining. --Jon Wiederhorn ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Happy go lucky Bill
The most cheerful release yet by the usually mordant Bill Callahan, 'Knock Knock' is a revelation both for newcomers and for the fans. Far better than the patchy 'Dongs of Sevotion', 'Knock Knock' seems to have managed the trick of being professionally produce and yet, at the same time, prepared with the classically 'Smog' laissez faire attitude to musical technique and technology. Almost any other indy artist today would have choked on their own musical conscience at the notion of childrens' choirs, but Bill couldn't seem to care less, and the album would be far poorer without the extra character they provide (especially on the wonderful 'Hit the Ground Running'). 'Cold Blooded Old Times', the stand-out track, sums up the album's mood nicely: the lyrics brood over lost love, violence and innocence, but Bill's voice is nostalgic, hopeful that better is to come. And, hopefully, he's right, because this is a gem.

Lo-Fi Album-writing Master
Some people write good books, others write good songs. Billy Callahan (a.k.a. Smog) writes good _albums_. More so than almost any other album I own, Smog's works are best digested whole, in one continuous sitting. While individual songs stand out on their own (most notably "Cold Blooded Old Times", which made it into the "High Fidelity" Soundtrack, and "Hit the ground running"), Smog has (once again) written the album as a masterpiece of lyric narrative detailing (as usual) the agonies of modern love.

Don't be quick to dismiss this Album as indie-pop depressing melancholy pap, however -- Callahan, in his growing maturity as a songwriter, is learning to articulate a somber complexity.

Turn down the lights, grab your bottle of bourbon, sit back and enjoy.

i thought this guy'd be famous by now
bill...ahem...(bill callahan)(aka(Smog))(my god: so much paranthesis) has been around for a while now. he's on drag city, which is reason enough to believe one SHOULDN'T play this at a social function (or else the guy who loves red hot chili peppers will run up and yell, "hey man, turn that crap off, you're messing with the soul, introvert!" ok, so you're on to me, i'm an introvert, not much of a social creature, i must admit. my idea of fun is a half-pint of minute maid orange juice, a can of copenhagen chew, something written by kierkegaard, and a woody allan movie. but if i was anything else, i probably wouldn't be listening to (Smog). i would be the guy who walks up to the guy who had just put in a (Smog) cd and say, "hey, you're KILLING me man...put in INCUBUS!"

this stuff ain't for everyone...

Best Record Of The Decade
Picking my favorite Smog album is much like asking someone to select their favorite child. For more than a decade, Bill Callahan has put out some of the most compelling (and often under-appreciated) music, period. Knock Knock takes everything great about his past output and melds it seemlessly into easily my favorite record of the nineties: A sly sense of humor; experimentation that doesn't come off as needlessly self-indulgent; beautiful, haunting melodies and a sense of space between the words and notes that is just as important as the music itself. Callahan's lyric's are full of poetically clever, but very, very real analogies and specific life-altering moments from his character's (his?) past that can make even the most jaded listener re-think a universal subject such as love or childhood memories. The song, "Let's Move To The Country," is a classic album opener, setting a hopeful tone you just know will gradually be marred by life's dissappointing reality by album's end (This is also my 2-year old niece's favorite song, with its childlike innocence: "A goat and a monkey, a mule and a flea"). All along though, Mr. Callahan tells it with a knowing wit, driving spikes into our hearts with personal details in his narrative and subtley-unique touches in the music rarely found in popular music. For my money, there is no more perfect record.

Minimalism at its best
Where Sparklehorse fails, Smog succeeds! When listening to Sparklehorse you wait for the music to take off, for it seems like it needs to. With Smog it is different. In the tradition of Cohen and Waits, Smog moves along smoothly and stays within his realm and is fulfilling in and of himself. His subdued rhythms and ambivalent vocals is both serious and self-mocking. There are moments in songs like River Gaurd, Teenage Spaceship and Hit the Ground Running that are sublime and delicious, but yet contained within the song and fulfilling. That is the hardest thing to do in the minimalist genre and it is achieved by Callahan. Most people come to this album through the timeless Cold Blooded Old TImes, but the rest of the album should keep you coming back for more... ... Read more

Reviews (13)

"The Glow, pt. 2" Lite.
After purchasing and finally becoming very intrigued by The Microphones latest release "The Glow, pt. 2," I rushed to get this album. I was hoping that since I had spent so much time getting adjusted to The Micorphones sound that this would not be hard. It was not hard at all to like this album because it's great just the same.

Structurally, it's very similar to "The Glow, pt. 2." One exception is that there are fewer songs on this release. The song titled "The Glow" is a sonic masterpiece. It measures in at just over 11 minutes and takes you through so many soundscapes you wonder how many songs you've listened to in the 11 minutes. It's probably one of my top three songs by The Microphones yet.

The first song, "The Pull," is very reminiscent of the first track on "The Glow, pt. 2." It has the signature Microphones acoustic guitar that has been manipulated to shift from speaker to speaker. Most of the songs on this album could be on "The Glow, pt. 2." Most of the songs from "The Glow, pt. 2" could be on this album. If you like one, you're sure to like the other.

I would have to say that I still like "The Glow, pt. 2" just a bit better. As with most people's opinions, I think that this album just barely falls short of being incredible. I still enjoy it a lot, though. I certainly won't complain. With the exception of "Drums" I pretty much like every song on the album.

Two songs in the middle of the album that just blow me away are "The Gleam" and "The Breeze." The Gleam is completely fuzzed out and has the most "user friendly" sound. "The Breeze" is what I would imagine Godspeed You Black Emperor! to sound like if their songs were cut down to 3 minutes. Come to think of it, that's a pretty good comparison to most of these songs.

I've heard that Phil Elvrum is already working on his next album to be released later this year. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like. If it's anything like the last two, it should be an incredible piece of lo-fi heaven. I should also take this opportunity to suggest listening to their album called "Don't Wake Me Up," which is also on K records. It's not quite as great as these two albums, but if you like their latest two, you may want to check it out anyway. It's signature Microphones material.

I will admit that the average listener may not be able to appreciate the music that The Microphones are putting out. How many of us, though, have albums in our collection that we hated at first and then came to love even years later? That's how I feel most people will be with The Microphones. Once your hooked, that's it. Buy this album and buy "The Glow, pt. 2" while your at it. I'm sure you'll come to really appreciate the work that is being released here.

Ignore the preceding review and you'll do fine
Personal opinion, eh? Everyone's right, and yet also a nauseating slight on imagination and endeavour when you have to digest nonsense from those of us who haven't outgrown our Kings of Leon and White stripes albums. Listen Bub....go back and sit in front of your MTV and stay away from The Microphones because you clearly don't deserve them.

This LP collects some of The K label's finest musicians on to the one heady swirling slab o' wax - Mirah, Phil Elvrum and Khaela Maricich (the Blow). Melodies and voices soar and drums rattle shaking your senses like some rickity old bicycle. The saddles comfy and the ride is fast....infact i'm just gonna park myself under that big ol' oak tree, spark up a doobie and lose myself for 11 minutes while the beauty of The Glow washes over me.

"We Can Sing Off Key and You Can't Do Anything About It".
This should have been the title for this release. This is the absolute last time that I buy something based upon recomendations from strangers - my bad. I have to say that there are some brief snippets - very brief - of song ideas, but no fully realized listenable compositions. Frequently, when it seems like something listenable comes along - there they go again - harmonizing - or so they think. 11 minute sonic spectacular? Have any of these reviewers ever listened to Pink Floyd? Or Frank Zappa?

One reviewer wrote "At various points, vocal harmonies approach each other, seemingly at random, until perfection is achieved". The only explanation for this is that this reviewer is President of the Tone Deaf Society of America. This band couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. If you want harmonies that frequently reach perfection try the Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash or the Beach Boys.

If you are starting to think that I must have a prejudice against indie music, think again - I have a collection that includes Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, The Shins, Beulah, Apples in Stereo, Let's Active, Kings of Leon, Of Montreal and Elf Power just to name a few off the top of my head. My musical interests are broad and I think I am very open-minded when it comes to the creative musical process. I grew up on The Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles... but I have a disc that I love by The White Stripes. If it's good, it's good... this release by the Microphones isn't.

let's face it together
Something I realized about the Microphones: They're not that interesting

Hearts in Right Place
The sense of trying a little too hard is pervasive throughout this album. However, the fact that Microphones is even trying to create thought-provoking music, built on experimental songwriting techinques and sonic landscaping puts them so far ahead of the monochromatic Top 40 FM radio crowd that "It Was Hot..." is at least worth a listen. The band thinks it's a little too good for its own sake. And ironically, the composition of the album is hurt by the inclusion of its best song. "The Glow" is "It Was Hot..."'s most involved exploration of form, melody and sound construction. A few of the other tracks, however, offer the impression of having been cobbled together haphazardly with the expectation that listeners would be so wowed by the centerpiece track that their critical threshold would drop. That's a shame. The talent so evident in "The Glow" should shun the inclusion of the uninteresting filler, "Drums."

Secondarily, a few of the songs evolve in very pleasant ways. However, most seem to remain too close to their middle ground. Fuzzed out and imprecise is nice, but when you're able to create the beautiful textures seen in traks like "Something," and "The Gleam," it makes no sense not to work the other tracks as thoroughly.

One listener complained that moments of pure beauty were sparse and too far between. I disagree with this assessment. At various points, vocal harmonies approach each other, seemingly at random, until perfection is achieved. This album is about the search for these moments, and any attempt to water down "It was Hot..." with pop and brightness and assonance wouldn't help the album in any substantive way.

Again, the band merely needed to work harder to present a uniform product whose average more closely approached the genius of "The Glow" and "Something." ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Deliciously Weird
I bought this album after buying one of those "Series Of Unfortunate Events' and audio book. The theme music is composed, and sung by the Gothic Archies, which in reality are just a one-man-band by the goth weirdo Steven Merritt. Merritt's voice is very deep toned, and he sings some creepy, yet wacky lyrics. This is on eof my favorite albums.

It's useless to not buy this album.
Tracks such as "The Tiny Goat" and "City of the damned" are monstrously fun for sing-alongs at work while "Ever falls the twilight" and "it's useless to struggle" offer a wink and a nod to Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and how can one not go wrong with an album where the last intelligible lyric is "The world's a leech crawling down one's throat. / One would rather be a tick than be a tiny goat"?

Worthwhile - But not for Beginners
Stephin Merritt has yet to make an album or EP not woth owning, and this one's no exception, but bew warned that this is a dark record (even by Magnetic Fields standards). This was Merritt's intention; the Gothic Archies side-project was created specifically for the release of his most depressing songs. Mission accomplished: The tracks here are hilariously bleak, and the lyrics intentionally over-the-top (from "The Tiny Goat": "The tiny goat was really very ugly/ And like all ugly things it fell in love/ When 20 years of waiting came to nothing/ It swallowed lye and laid down on the stove").

There are a few catchy tracks ("Abandoned Castle of My Soul" and the minute-and-a-half "City of the Damned"), but nothing that would qualify as classic or essential.

Once again, it's worth owning, but if you're still in the process of building your Stephin Merritt collection, you should make this one of your last purchases.

Merrit's self parody
I think this album is something of a self parody, as well as a parody of a genre he sometimes flirts with - gothic music. Though not really goth, Merrit's voice has that tone and his lyrics are usually very bleak. But they don't get much bleaker than this. Perhaps the saddest most depraved song on the record is the Tiny Goat, where a goat's live is so pathetic that he places himself on a stove - with lye nonetheless! It's useless to struggle is an apt begininng to the album, perhaps describing where you'll be while listening to it - wanting to turn away from Merrit's depressing rantings, but not able to because their too darn funny. Cave ridicules the goth genre and himself with lyrics too depressing for the likes of even Ian Curtis on Andrew Eldrich. Sad, sick, twisted, depraved, depressing - but very very funny.

Hilariously bleak...
This number is a great little EP from Merritt... hilariously depressing and lyrically destroying all that is good and nice with its hopelessness, you should play this one for your black-eyeshadow-wearing-face-painting-ever-complaining goth friends and really honk them off. Perfect for its length, a variation of this was originally released for the Hello CD of the Month club, which is a rare find now. Either way, it's a great, tiny album. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Clever, tuneful, fantastic pop
This is the pop album Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies, et al) could never have made on his own. The truly pop sensibility of Merritt's co-writer Christopher Ewen has mollified Merritt's dour indie sensibilities and allowed his love of ABBA-inspired arrangements to flourish. The result is a peerless pop album - with intelligent lyrics! - that has always found its way back to my cd player. "Hopeless" is so gloriously uplifting it's amazing it didn't work as a single; then again, Merritt and Ewen are so far ahead of the game most people just don't get it. If you're smart, you will.

Merritt is a pop genius--no matter what he calls himself
The Future Bible Heroes record Memories of Love was stuck in my CD player for nearly two months. No, not literally stuck, but I just couldn't seem to get enough of it. My favorite all time Merritt track is "Hopeless," a PERFECT pop song that will sound as good on the 1,000th listen as it did on the first. On this record, he trades vocals with Claudia Gonson, and they both sing briliantly. If you've never heard a Merritt record in any of his incarnations (6ths, Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies), you're missing out on a true genius. Get MEMORIES OF LOVE, and if you like pop music, you'll thank me for my advice.

This album bores me to laughter
The voices on these folks! The man sounds like a depressed child with a head cold, and the woman sounds like somebody dressed up in a mermaid cosume somewhere in Disney Land. I don't know what else to say. The instruments are too light and fluffy, mostly done by a machine, and the whole thing just sounds like a bad, cheesy eighties album. Sort of like Annie Lennox meets Captain Kangaroo. I know 80's rock is making a whacky come back, but guys, listen to the album again and try not to chuckle. It's pretty hard.

What's not to like?
This is my first FBH cd and believe me, I'm coming back for more. I am typically into heavy alternative sounds, but this band is totally addictive. Creepy yet realistic, emotional yet fresh, this cd is a very unique sound I thoroughly enjoy.

Pop heaven
This is one of the greatest pop albums I've ever heard. Stephin Merritt has more than proven his genius in collaboration with others on such projects as the Magnetic Fields and the 6ths. _Memories of Love_ signifies a kind of perfection for Merritt and collaborators. Just when you think the last track couldn't be bettered, the Heroes shock you with another swell pop song even lovelier than the last: imaginative electroacoustic arrangements, perfect melodies, dancey time signatures, and gorgeous, often unexpected, harmonies.

In the most sheerly beautiful song, the mellifluously titled "You Pretend to Be the Moon," the singer, Claudia Gonson, addresses a character who has withdrawn from the world as the result of dire misfortunes, the deaths of friends and lovers. The song is making fun of this drama queen while also celebrating his or her emotion. The strings undulate moodily, but Chris Ewen's synthesizers anchor the song to a samba rhythm--as if to provide the soundtrack to the character's lunar exile and remind us of ambiguous earthly pleasures at one and the same time. Thus the song, embodying what it wittily ridicules, builds on the complexities of other studio eccentrics, prodigies, and auteurs--I think of Brian Wilson, Joe Meek, Warren Defever, the Aphex Twin, Roddy Frame, Happy Rhodes, Momus--yet suggests a future of innovation. An exemplary postmodern gem.

Merritt also sings here in a dense, closely harmonized baritone, both world-weary and sexy. Although he's hardly working out of his living room anymore, he demonstrates once again that wonderful things can be done with limited but carefully exploited resources. His albums must cost next to nothing to produce but put most popular music of this type in the shade. (I wish his label had sprung for the short, wooden pencils to go with the booklet's puzzles, however.) Merritt is thereby following the less-is-more aesthetic of another innovator in musical synthesis, Brian Eno, as much in his fondness for stylish packaging, word-gaming, and pop culture generally as in the songs themselves.

Merritt has acted like the perfectly queer gentleman, as well, never becoming particularly militant or self-centered nor attempting to conceal or displace his sexuality. No wonder some of the coolest musicians have wanted to sing and perform his songs, even if he can do it all himself.

Note: A CD E.P. has also appeared; it includes the album's opening track, "Lonely Days"; "Hopeless," sung by Merritt instead of Gonson; a hilarious cover of "Love Is Blue"; and two miscellaneous tracks, "How to Get Laid in Japanese" and "Berlin on $10 a Day," an instrumental by Ewen. Also highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

cosmos in chaos
With the folky acoustic sounds of his debut A Sun Came, no one expected Sufjan Stevens to release something like this. Without a decipherable vocal in sight, Stevens' Enjoy Your Rabbit is one heck of an instrumental concept album, relying on mostly electronic sounds, but also a few other instruments for good measure.

Yes, it is heavily electronic, but Enjoy Your Rabbit is no Joy Electric. There's a certain amount of chaos in the album that would make Ronnie Martin shudder, yet Sufjan controls it beautifully to the point of creating cosmos within the noise. Stevens knows when the noise can get too disorientating, and mixes in several lighter numbers. Some of the songs, like track three, are simply great, orchestrated melodies, with the one in mention being something Danny Elfman would be proud of.

If anything, purchase this because of the courage Stevens had to take a 360 degree turn in his artistic career and create this strange, yet ultimately brilliant, masterpiece. It has nice artwork, too. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An Instant Classic!!!
Midlake's debut will shine in the upper echelon of Psych-Pop albums forever. As sparkling and wonderful as The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals and other biggies, this cd proves that it is possible to be derivative and, at the same time, completely original.

magical mystery kid a
Sure enough this is a fantasical land of droning old-school synths, loopy vocals, and lyrics concerned with domestic situations governed by some fascist organisation of monocle men.

No, it makes no sense at all, but has a crazy compelling emotional state that is only enhanced by seeing them live. Which I did by accident and was completely blown away by their videos, naive and amateurish though they are.

Listening to this record is like being trapped in the mind of someone mad enough to venture their soul on a silent movie.

Recommended.

Get lost in this album
"Bamnan and Slivercork" is a wonderful burst of creativity from Midlake. Full of dreamy layers, haunting melodies and inventive lyrics, this album will definitely keep you coming back for more.

My Favorite Album Of 2004 So Far
The first time I listened to Bamnan & Silvercork it struck me as a little too mellow for my taste as well as slightly monotonous. While it is true that this album isn't for those who like more adrenaline-pumping heavy music all the time, and it has a prevalent mood throughout that could be construed as monotony, do not confuse this for some mediocre indie album - every song on this LP is individually and uniquely awesome, and I would see Midlake live in a heartbeat~! Midlake, like another favorite band of mine: Eisley, very successfully convey a mood and set an ambient in their music, something that transports you into another world for the duration of the CD, and it becomes a place you want to visit again and again. many other indie bands try to accomplish this, but few achieve a level of success like the aforementioned bands do. the trademark of a good album is that nothing else quite will do to replace the feeling you get when you listen to it, so that when you are in that mood you can listen to nothing else but that album.
Overall I strongly recommend picking this up: it's laid back and creates landscapes, yet at the same time has focused songs that will stand out one from another after a couple listens.

AbSoLuTeLy bRiLLiAnT!!!
Suprise! Radiohead and the Beatles had a baby and it is called Midlake...this cd will blow you away with its dark whimsical flowing soundscape...
I LOVE IT and cant recommend it enough.

Check them out ASAP and tell everyone you know!
(...) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of the best under-rated albums of the past few years
I was thinking about reviewing a CD, and I almost immediately thought this should be it. (The first one already had 50+ reviews, so I thought I'd rather spend the time on a really great CD that not many people know about... hence, Time Travel is Lonely.) I love this CD, I picked it up randomly a couple of years ago (and still today, it's one of my favorites), without much expectation from an artist named "John Vanderslice", who I don't know anything about. I still don't know a thing about him or his band. All I know is that with each listen of this CD, its brilliance is more apparent, and all the more I was astonished.

The lyrics are smart and honest and refreshingly so. His voice is human. The songwriting is skillful. And the songs are catchy and quality... This must all sound trite, but it's all quite true. I couldn't put it more simply, and this CD doesn't need more relish on what its about.

Additionally, I will say that I listened to John Vanderslice's newer CD, Cellar Door, and well, Time Travel is better.

Greatness
One of my friends gave this to me and once I started listening to it, I was intrigued and amazed by it. The record is crazy and peculiar and sad and happy and everything at once. Some songs tell stories, others are simply poems of moods and ideas. One song "If I live or If I Die" is a poem like Blake moderized and made into a song, a fact i stumbled upon reading Blake's Song of Experiance.
John Vanderslice;s music is allways interesting and fascinating, drawing you in, and even if you might feel repulsed by it at first, there is somethign which draws you in and won't let go, his music is basically some of the best music to come out the rather dull current Indie scene. I highly suggest this record and all of his others to anyone who likes strange indie music, or even music in general, please buy, you will be amazed.

A good album
The first time I reviewed this album I only gave it 4 stars. It took me awhile to realize what an amazing piece of work it is. Its now my favorite album in my collection, and John Vanderslice is by far my favorite artist. I'm actually shocked I only gave it so few stars but my mistake highlights what a complicated intricate record Time Travel Is Lonely is. Its something hard to appreciate in just one listen.

John Vanderslice is by far one of the best musicians currently opperating in the indie rock world. He is a brilliant song writer (and from everything I have heard, an incredibly nice guy to boot!) While all three of his releases are awesome, Time Travel is Lonely, is by far, his best. The album reflects it's title, the sound is somewhat lonely, in many cases distant and longing. These feelings are reflected in both the lyrics and the music. Many tracks are layered with thick guitars, samples, and keyboards. While it does have its "rocking" moments, overall Time Travel is Lonely is a mellower album. I find it the perfect thing to listen to when I am studying...it has enough energy to keep me from falling asleep, but I never find myself so distracted by it that I can't concentrate.

Star singles from this track include: You Were my Fiji, Time Travel is Lonely, My Old Flame, and Everything Changed.

best record of 2001
I saw Vanderslice with Spoon at the troubadour with Spoon over the summer. I was toally blown away by the live show so I bought a cd. You know how often these thing disappoint you...Well I have listened to this record about 200 times since then. I rank it up there with Grandaddy, Badly Drawn Boy, and Kid A. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"It just so happens I have many concerns," sings Damien Jurado on "Medication," the opening cut of Ghost of David, before letting loose with a tale of despair and woe rarely matched: the singer is quietly struggling with an affair while his brother sits in a sanitarium, suffering from delusions. The singer is being twisted and turned by the mounting troubles kicking in from both sides. Just as his excellent second album, Rehearsals for Departure, began with the mesmerizing "Ohio," Jurado has again pulled it off for his third solo album. The Pacific Northwest has been a fertile ground for all kinds of songwriters this past decade, but Jurado is single-handedly reviving the raw-boned, skeletal folk song. These tunes wouldn't sound out of place on one of Harry Smith's revered folk anthologies. Even when Jurado ups the amp volume for "Paxil," it's still within the cozy confines of the rec room. But he's at his best for the lonely, ambient "Tonight I Will Retire" and the mountain harmonies of "Rosewood Casket." --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Emotional and gripping
Wow. I picked up this album at a concert of Jurado's (where he was anything but quiet; it was Gathered in Song too, and he was at times louder than the amps) and have been hooked on his music ever since. I consider myself an emo fan but am generally not emotionally by music except by a few rare songs. And then came this album. It is moving, touching, painting the picture of every song's subject and driving its emotional payload straight into you. In short, it is unparalleled in emotion and musical power, an excellent buy for the fans of emo, folk, and quiet music.

damien quietly blows all other music out of the water...
I picked up my first Damien Jurado album in college after a certain boy put him on a mix tape for me...and you know what mix tapes can do to your heart....Anyway, Damien has a presence which will resonate in your mind long after you are done listening to him. He is eloquent, and soft, and sings from his gut...what more can you ask for? Every album he has ever made is worth buying, but Ghost of David is a great one to start with...and please take this on car trips with you,...I think that you will find yourself listening to it again and again trying to get more from each song.

As Real As it Gets
Damien Jurado has been one of my favorite artists since seeing him play bass and scream in Coolidge. I would never have guessed that this guy would go on to make the most beatiful folk music around. I have probably seen him play 20-25 times from when I lived in Seattle and was around when Pedro the Lion, Damien Jurado, Roadside Monument and other groups like that were playing little shows all of the time. He has never disappointed in his live shows.

Jordan Walton helped produced this album in his room and it is one my favorite albums of all time for its sound as well as the songs. It truly does feel like you are a part of the songs with the ultra-personal production. Great job. Jordan has also worked on Denison Witmer's "Of Joy and Sorrow" which is a pretty good album as well.

"Ghost of David" would certainly be in my top 5 albums because of the way that I am touched when I hear it. I am always moved by the album and I hope I continue to be until I die. Check out "Medication", "Johny Go Riding", "Ghost of David" and "Rosewood Casket". Rosie Thomas does some great vocals on this as she does in all of her other work.

Buy this album if you enjoy meditative music. It is as beautiful as music can be. Their is a feeling of brokeness that I find very comforting. Check it out. Thank God for Mr. Jurado!

Calm during the storm
I bought this CD, after hearing it on our wonderful college radio station (KCOU). It was about the only bright spot during a pretty awful semester in graduate school. Like U2, Damien Jurado uses Christian imagery in a very subtle and non-intrusive way. This album is an example of a spiritual man making sense of the loneliness and despair found in our difficult, secular world. The beautiful songs speak of a deep mysticism, though, behind the troubled lyrics. A great album.

Many concerns
I first purchased and played this record when I was stricken with pneumonia and almost homeless, and it was just about perfect timing. Jurado here fulfills the promise of his earlier records, stripping away the (very well-done) jangle-folk-pop learnings and playing to his greatest strength: rustic, intimate, timeless confessional folk music. The characters on the brink of emotional collapse in the first part of the record fittingly give way to the hazy experimental confusion of the second. This is folk music as it was meant to be, harrowing, engaging and true. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When the subject of Guided by Voices arose in a rock chatroom, someone remarked, "They're practically classic rock these days." I'm sure nothing would please GBV prime mover Robert Pollard more. A common misconception is that today's musician is hung up on "breaking new ground," seeking that untapped vein that will keep him or her munching at the trough of plenty for the next three or four records. It would be far closer to the truth to say that most folk trying to earn a living the indie rock way ("Send for our training video today!") are looking merely for an uncrowded train car to which they can quietly hitch their cabooses. Pollard makes no secret of the fact that he's a musical archivist, more interested in rekindling rock history's divine moments than in keeping his finger on the erratic, racing pulse of today's youthful consumer--inevitably leading to a glut of corporate-coated, disposable bands like Collective Soul, Bush, and Silverchair.

The first two tracks on Mag Earwhig seem intent on clearing the record while updating us on Pollard's personal musings. "Can't Hear The Revolution," the first cut, somewhat distances Pollard and the so-called "lo-fi" movement, a nebulous assemblage of DIY homeboys with four-track recorders that he certainly helped to establish credibly (and will never completely abandon). "Sad If I Lost It" is a song about music making as both obsession and salvation, which explains why Pollard puts out as much of his endless catalog of tunes as possible; instead of waiting out the peaks and valleys of a long career, he'd rather unload the whole bundle while his creative engine is still in racing fettle.

Many of the GBV faithful are up in arms over Pollard's decision to drop his long-standing backup band, which included Toby Sprout and Mitch Mitchell on guitars as well as drummer Kevin Fennell. While he continues to record and compose with Sprout (and his brother Jim Pollard), Cleveland's Cobra Verde have stepped in as Pollard's new rock & roll wrecking crew. The additional muscle and skill these fellows wield is evident on big anthem rockers like "I Am A Tree" (written by Cobra Verde guitarist Doug Gillard), "Not Behind the Fighter Jets" and "Jane of the Waking Universe." These three numbers along with the first single "Bulldog Skin" (a song about his love of British pop music) indicate Pollard's return to his '70s trash and treasure, incorporating the can't-miss, ringing power-pop coils of catchy ancestors like Badfinger, Big Star, Dwight Twilley, and the Raspberries. The best example of Cobra Verde's noisy eclecticism bonding with Pollard's pop horse sense comes on the 1:23-minute gem, "Mute Superstar," which starts out like an early Wire guitar cruncher, then opens a sunny window for some Beatles psychedelia. He gathers those lovely acoustic ballad bits abundantly about him, the finest being "I Am Produced," a quickie about putting your life on record, and the wistfully McCartney-like "Now To War." In the end, most critics judge any new Guided by Voices product by its ratio of heavenly pop to Pollard's noodly abstractions, and so Mag Earwhig keeps up with past masterpieces like Bee Thousand and Propellor. Yet there is more afoot here than ear candy, as Pollard breaks in a talented new supporting cast while traveling back to the clarity of times when popular music didn't suck. The present musical climate dominated by unbearably bland bands and useless electronica, Pollard's journey through the past is a blast of forward thinking. --John Chandler ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Brilliant, Patchy and Unsatisfying?
I've owned this album since it's release and only take it out when I want to hear "Jane Of the Waking Universe", "Little Lines" and "the Finest Joke Is Upon Us." There are a handful of other good songs on here, but the overall impression is that of a Very Long album of outakes. Seek out the "Bulldog Skin" EP for the better "electric version" of "Now To War" and the awesome "Singing Razorblade." I'm a huge Guided By Voices fan, in fact they're probably my favorite band ever, but every album since Alien Lanes has had me wondering "why didn't they leave these songs off and put THAT one on instead?" Damn it, why am I complaining? I get chills every time I hear "Jane Of the Waking Universe" and break into uncontrolable air-drumming when I hear "Bulldog Skin." Does this justify the whole album? Probably not, but I just LOVE GBV, I can't help it!!!

The pefect Guided By Voices album.
Although "Alien Lanes" to me captures their sound best, "Mag Earwhig!" is the perfect balance of their lo-fi and hi-fi sound.
The songs range from short and fast to long and well composed.
In my opinion this is their finest, but it's all subjective, just if you are new, get this one as a first, that way you can travel from "Bee Thousand" to sat "Isolation Drills" without being shocked.
But alone on this albums merits, GBV really shine.

This Earwhig is Mag
Every GBV fan has a different opinion over this album, and for that matter everything GBV has ever done. My opinion: this is the MOST WELL-ROUNDED ALBUM THEY HAVE DONE THUS FAR.

Not to down-play any other album they have made so far, but this one contains every element of their career. Examples: Lo-fi recordings AND hi-fi recordings next to each other, snippet songs intertwined with well-rounded completed pieces, etc.

Furthermore, the songwriting is peak here. Just to pick a few:

SAD IF I LOST IT is impossible to imagine on any album before this one; a definite break-through for GBV.

LEARNING TO HUNT - the first blatant romance song to appear on a GBV record; another break-through which would serve them on future albums.

I AM A TREE, MUTE SUPERSTAR, PORTABLE MEN'S SOCIETY - cleverly crafted, as well as perfectly executed. The drive in these songs makes them perfect for highway driving and mosh pits alike.

MAG EARWHIG, OLD GRUNT, CHOKING TARA - 3 songs that you definitely will not "get" the first time you listen to them, but will grow on you with further listening; being "snippets" (songs under 1:30 and feel like drafts), these would have fit well on the ALIEN LANES album, but thankfully were held onto for this collection.

THE FINEST JOKE..., JANE OF THE WAKING UNIVERSE, BOMB IN THE BEE-HIVE, KNOCK EM FLYIN' - classic GBV. Period. These would have fit on any album, but after a few listens you begin to believe they were saved for just the right occasion.

All in all, every song on this album is perfectly unique and the results are that the songs never get old. You wouldn't want another second to any of the shorter songs, and if you edited the longer ones they would feel incomplete.

If you are new to GBV, I reccommend this album first. Then, pick up UNDER THE BUSHES..., BEE THOUSAND, and UNIVERSAL TRUTHS. If you are a longtime fan and don't own this yet, shame on you. Stop what you are doing. Put one in your check-out cart.

GBV's best?
When this album first came out, I took a ride in my car through the countryside and drank beer and did my best to soak it all in. Needless to say, it was hard for a number of reasons. First and foremost is that fact that this and most other GBV records are a challenging lot. You can't simply put it in your player and expect to "get it" the first time around.

Couple this with the fact that I was still sore over the realization that the "classic" band were no more. How dare Pollard, the megalomaniac, simply fire his entire backing band in favor of a newer model? The whole thing seemed preposterous and wrong.

As time wore on, though, I came to embrace the album. As time wears on further, I have come to view it as perhaps "their" finest hour. The fact of the matter is that there never really was a "classic" GBV line-up, anyway. All albums previous had been pieced together in the basement and with a revolving cast of characters, and besides... I saw the "classic" line up once, and they weren't really all that anyhoo. Mitch Mitchell was an interesting cat, but Tobin Sprout seemed disassociated from the whole mess and the other two dudes were obvious stand-ins who barely made it through the set. So I can honestly say that I feel no nostalgia for the old days.

Besides, Mag Earwhig has more than enough input from the old guard to serve as a bridge between the old and new. Mitch Mitchell appears, as does Tobin Sprout. And the simple fact of the matter is that this is one of the tightest, most down-to-earth set of tunes Robert Pollard has produced. The requisite hits are here, and in abundance. I Am A Tree and Bulldog Skin alone are evidence enough that all chops remained intact. But more than that, of course, the album shines in it's depth and complexity. An inspired collage of songs, from the pop stuff to the lo-fi stuff to the more progressive stuff, the whole album flows and holds your attention on par with the wonderfully damaged Alien Lanes.

Often regarded as a sttutter step, Mag Earwhig is more than a golden GBV moment... it is required listening. Perhaps ten years from now the world at large will catch up.

GBV! GBV! GBV!
What can I say? This album is simply awesome! Don't believe me? Go out and get it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Take one engineer-singer-songwriter of vision, depth, and appeal, grappling with the great ontological and epistemological questions of post-modernism and the Enlightenment. Add Sloppy Hi-FiT, rhythm, melody, diverse instrumentation, a compelling storyline, and extra lyrics from cult punk-folk hero John Darnielle (Mountain Goats, Extra Glenns). Bring far-flung indie rocker friends together from bands like Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie , Beulah, Mates of State, Kind of Like Spitting, and the Court and Spark, and trust these musicians to do what they know best. What do you get? John Vanderslice's third solo (yet collaborative) concept album, a satirical rocker about an American artist "gone crackers" and "washed up" by 19. These are 12 songs about muses, metaphysics, drugs, four-trackers, and suicide. Vanderslice named his first album after a Neutral Milk Hotel lyric; this time out, fans of the enigmatic should look for references to Marcel Duchamp, the Microphones, the Danielson Famile, Yes, and William Blake, whose poetry on the pain of existence is used as a framing device. --Jillian Steinberger ... Read more

Reviews (9)

really fun!
this is a great album! it's really fun and funny in spots! I love John Vanderslice!

I don't do stars. Read the review.
a sloppy mess of an album. and short, too, with repeats and fillers. but oh, how joyful a thing it is. there's a duck or a goose running around squawking in excitement -- i'm not sure what he's saying as I don't speak duck or goose or whatever but five'll get you ten (you're going to die) it's something along the lines of "wow! this is good stuff! whoda thunk it?" it also raises that age old question: how many guests can you crowd on to an album and still call it one man's album? who is this john vanderslice anyway? a conduit, i say. not counting the duck, there's how many guest appearances on this album? and then there are the ghosts -- wm. blake, obviously, who was kind enough to write the lyrics for track 1 and track 9. and i swear I sense the ghost of Elliot Smith, may his soul rest in peace, on Greyhound, buddying up to WB Yeats (the best lack all conviction, while the worst/are full of passionate intensity.)

nikki oh nikki is the song i wake up in the middle of the night to find myself singing... my roommate just started sleeping on the couch, i guess hearing "he's going to die" while laying in the dark and cold was a bit much for him. It's a bit much for me; no one should be able to write such slow, sloppy, weird song that so utterly get under your skin, under your organs, into the cords of your being.

I don't really buy it as a concept album. They're a bunch of songs about imbalance, losing love, disillusionment, things gone wrong. So's every Everclear record. Doesn't make it conceptual. Good thing it's better than Everclear.

please, good sir, bring me some more. mikee likee.

cheer up, indie rocker¿
i'll admit, i had never heard of john vanderslice until i saw him open for beulah. to my surprise, after talking to a few people, most people were there to see him instead of the headliner. anyway, after getting kicked out of the club (oops), john saw my sister and me hanging outside, and he offered to get me back in, if possible. what a nice guy! i was really amazed by how amiable he was to two strangers. even though he didn't get us back in, when he saw me by the bar, he gave me a big smile and said it was nice to see me again.

my apologies that this isn't a music review, but i just wanted to say how nice john is.

I *heart* JV
While admitedly, John Vanderslice's second album, "Time Travel is Lonely" is his best release, Life and Death of an American Fourtracker is by no means small potatoes. In fact, while it may be somewhat inferior to J.V.'s 2001 release, it is still far more superior to many, many other albums.

Again, as with "Time Travel" J.V. gives us another concept album. When I first listened to it, something reminded me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps the mix of guitar and synth. I wasn't really sure, but it has a similar feel. When I finally learned the "story" behind the album (the true tale a young artist's - who once dated John's sister - descent into maddness) the similarity to "The Wall" became even stronger. Like other "concept albums" this release works more as a whole rather than as individual songs. Its hard to pick out that stand out "radio hit" (even if its a college radio hit) type single. The album works as a single unit, flowing together as a cohesive whole to tell the complicated story.

I truly believe that John Vanderslice is probably one of the best song writers and performers out there. Seeing him live made my life. And self-absorbed? I think not. He has a reputation for being one of the nicest rockers out there. If you've ever seen him live you would know what an amazing down to earth guy he is. I'm anxiously awaiting his most recent release due this winter.....

AN UNDISCOVERED TREASURE
John Vanderslice originally came to me via a good friend. This CD has turned my good friend into my best friend. This album is stark yet gushes with emotion. It measures up well against Mr. Vanderslice's previous releases. Though the album is not a masterpiece, it is quite consistent. It receives four stars only so we may anticipate an even better release next time. Highly recommended tracks include: Cool Purple Mist, Me and My 424, Underneath the Leaves and Amitriptyline. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The biggest problem with being a prodigy is that, eventually, your talent stops being mentioned in relationship to your tender age, and your work is judged purely against that of your peers. Or, in the case of prolific young romantic like Ed Harcourt, that of the masters you seek to emulate. By the time he was 23, he’d already earned a prestigious Mercury Prize nomination for his major-label debut, Here Be Monsters, and a reputation for writing songs faster than Ryan Adams (over 300 and counting at the time). Released three years after this initial adulatory wave, From Every Sphere opens with a gorgeous slice of orchestral pop called "Bittersweet Heart."It would work well in a set by Rufus Wainwright or Badly Drawn Boy , but in melody and attitude it doesn’t add anything new to a sound Brian Wilson pioneered close to 40 years ago. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but hardly the stuff of musical revolutions. And that’s both the charm and limitation of From Every Sphere’s 12 songs: They’re all pretty good, but you could easily imagine them being done by someone else, whether it’s Turin Brakes, Eric Matthews, or High Llamas. From Every Sphere is tasteful and even rewarding at times; it just doesn’t expand much on Harcourt’s promise. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The subtle man
Ed Harcourt is a musical genius. His first record, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the Mercury Prize. He was said to have written five hundred songs in a year when he first started. That would be in 2000. So quickly enough we have the second installment of his romantic vision. There was also an important EP in there. Oddly enough, Ed Harcourt worked with Tim Holmes of Death in Vegas on his first album. That satanic experience produced a very musical effort that was parts Tom Waits and part Randy Newman. It's odd that Ed is only twenty-five years old. The new record seems more mature and direct. Songs like "Bittersweetheart" and "Sister Renee" are mostly just voice and piano. "Ghost Writer" has hiphop sounds on it. He has the help of Jimi Goodwin of Doves and Lisa Germano. On his recent tour, he just played piano and guitar by himself. Previously he played live with a full band. Any way it comes, any way he can channel the good vibe, his new album is more perfect and more fully realized vision of his art of simple songs with complex emotions. This has become one of my favorite albums of this year. I actually ran into Ed Harcourt on the street in New York City. He was kind enough to give me a free pass to see Fischerspooner. We were soon upstairs at Irving Plaza sitting next to Michael Stripe. That was an odd night indeed. Art is hard, indeed.

i was inspired!
Unlike other reviewers who proclaim this album was uninspiring, i have to disagree. this is the best investment ive made this year, discovering him while i was in london ( being from the states) i was in tower records when i heard " watching the sun come up" a great rock song that has an addictive beat and sound, i still cant get enough of. of course, ed is an artist you appreciate for his quirkiness, whether it be his interesting use of orchestra and play on words in his lyrics, or his dark melodic tunes that could be compared to sparklehorse or songs ohia, but although some songs are dark, they are beautifully written and leave you wanting more. It did take me a few times to apprecite this album to its fullest...but that is the beauty of this album, to discover each song individually. his music is so sexy, dark at times, with beautiful melodies, his voice breaking at just the right moments, but also playful at times. He incorporates rock, jazz, soul, pop, and classical music all at once.
if you are a pacient listener and eager to hear a new sound,
try ed out.

good by comparison
Harcourt's second album isn't nearly as endearing as his first, which was a turn off to me at first. Yes, this album is "darker;" he definately hasn't come out with a new "Apple of My Eye," but that doesn't mean this album should be discarded. Ed's stuff generally takes a couple of listenings to get your head wrapped around it, but it's not for everyone. People who want instant grafitication (or who have been brainwashed to believe that only catchy, radio ready songs are the only ones worth listening to) should probably keep to the garbage in their CD players -- they wouldn't get this album.

While I, personally, enjoy Harcourt's first album more than From Every Sphere (hence the 4 of 5 stars), his skill at orchestration and general musical prowess should not be overlooked. Harcourt's talent is undeniable, but it's not necessarily for everyone. (When compared to all of the other crap that's floating around on TV and the radio, however, From Every Sphere would easily earn 5 stars with anyone who appreciates the subtleties of good music.)

Low key leads the way
In a MOR age of media created nobodies and a serious lack of a musical revolution like the 60s or 80s (perhaps that is why record companies are losing sales) gems like Ed Harcourt have to be unearthed from the general talentless dross that is the new Millenium. Ed's second album is a dark and sometimes awkward affair which requires personal listening rather than expecting your dinner party friends to tap their toes to it. Keep Robbie Williams for your guests and wait until they have gone home to enjoy real musicianship and crafted songs (no offence Robbie - you are the best that pop has to offer). His style may be derivative in some ways but then if you write a song that is listenable it has probably been done before and anyway who cares? At least it is not derivative of absolute talentless media generated rubbish destined for human goldfish with the attention span of 10 seconds (which incidently takes a whining record company to pull off - take note EMI you have dross and brilliance in your portfolio). Anyway back to the album, the darker pieces are for me the best, which means the title track takes the nomination for the most intriguing and is similar in melancholy and beauty to 'Wind Through The Trees' from 'Here Be Monsters'. Watching The Sun Come Up is the obvious single here and songs like this and EH's mastery of melodies set this album apart from the 'I love trainspotting' brooding of Radiohead and the very very disappointing and flat sound of post White Ladder David Gray. The sound quality borders on a rough, almost live take - the only thing polished here is the grand piano. In comparison, there is simply no excuse for the likes of David Gray to put out albums that sound like they were mixed by somebody with concrete filled ears - ask for your money back David, your sound/mixing engineer is complete rubbish.

Take a risk and buy 'From Every Sphere' it is no better or worse than Here be Monsters (if only a litle less melodic and darker perhaps) which is a complement obviously. EH is as good as Neil Finn at his best without the harmony of Crowded House. By the way I would give Robbie Williams five stars because he is a great showman and singer but he is not in the same league as EH but you can have both in your music collection (something for dinner parties maybe?).

Mediocre at best
I was very dissapointed in this CD and do not recommend it. The songs are uninspired and don't compare to other artist/material in the genre. I forced myself to listen to it several times to give it the benefit of the doubt.....no use. Invest your money in other artist. Like another reviewer noted, the best songs are the first five and they are mediocre at best. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sebadoh might have been one of the defining bands of the indie-rock revolution, but it seems Lou Barlow's side project the Folk Implosion was built to last. The New Folk Implosion, despite its name, provides a fine example of what Barlow has always done best: soulful rock music that captures the poetic shyness and sense of inadequacy of its maker. Barlow's lo-fi edge mellowed into a loose sonic adventurousness long ago. Here, ex-Sebadoh drummer Russell Pollard's rhythms are occasionally augmented by fluid loops. There's nothing as immediately hooky as "Natural One," the group's unlikely hit from Larry Clark's controversial teen movie Kids. But those still mourning the passing of Sebadoh ought to find what they're looking for in the windswept "Releast," "Creature of Salt," and "Pearl." --Louis Pattison ... Read more

Reviews (8)

real music lives
its a great album listen to it with no preconceptions of what it should be

One of our best
I am so confused as to why fans of a band or artist balk at any sigh of growth, especially when they are supposed to be "indie" fans. Indie fans aren't supposed to want to pigeon hole an artist. Lou continues to show his expansion of his themes in both Sebadoh and IF and that should be a good thing not something everyone runs from.

This CD is one of the most cohesive works Loobie has done. The song writing is impeccable. The tunes get deep inside you. They are haunting, beautiful and dark.

Please expand your horizon along with Lou and stick by everything he does. He is one of our best!!!!

Classic Lou Barlow
Another classic album by Lou Barlow. I have been a Sebadoh and Folk Implosion fan for a number of years and what draws me to the music is that you do not expect a consistent sound from one album to the next. There is always a degree of experimentation and the result is always fresh.

Stand out tracks are Fuse, Releast and Easy. I found it hard at first to listen to this version of Easy after listening to the loobiecore version, but this song rates up there with Sorry and Nightmare which is worth the price of the CD alone.

terrible
lou barlow can be brilliant and often clueless. hes clueless here. with the exception of track 7 (great) and 9 (good), this is an album without direction. What happened to the wonderful melodies ala one part lullaby? This drivel should be avoided. Its like the worst of Sebadoh and most of Sebadoh was horrible.

Dissapointing
Say One Part Lullaby hadn't been born, this record might've got a 4 from me. Instead, that masterpiece, record of our time, incredible patchwork of trip hop beats, vocal harmonies and melodies ripped straight from the 60's happened, and this record seems very, very mediocre.

I had high expectations, but without John Davis, things went downhill. It's a far more sebadoh/rocky album, so it may appeal to some, but apart from "pearl" and "leaving it up to me", there is as the waverace commentator would say, "nothing special". Pearl was better on the demo, too. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Intelligent Lo-Fi Pop
Enthusiasm and intelligence are the two advantages Sub Pop's Thermals have over the lo-fi rocker hoi polloi.

The Portland, OR, group made up of ex-Hutch and Kathy, Kind of Like Spitting, and Operacycle, attack their simple songs on More Parts Per Million with verve like a Beat Happening hopped up on ephedrine and one too many Dr Peppers. The interest and eagerness are impressive, a welcome relief from the redundant cynicism that plagues and devours indie rock to this day.

Underneath the basic song structures, fast chords strummed with fury, is a musical mind, and a rabid wit lyricism that creates lasting songs, pop word nuggets to chew on long after the last track has played. At first listen, the music sounds hook free, fill free, all basics, like some one picking up their guitar for the first time and turning out an opus ala The Mountain Goats. Beneath and behind Ben Barnett's tin guitar assault is a bass bounce, and snare drum exclamation that adds depth and dance-ability to their sound.

Hutch Harris wraps his high-pitched, you-either-love-it-or-hate-it voice, around words sung sincere with great thought put into them. On "Back To Grey" take for example "I don't need any love/ because I've got the elements/Electric Light/Electric License." The entire album is saturated with word play like this, clever without being cloying.

The album is maximum low-fidelity, with the emphasis on LO. If it's true that Dave Davies put holes in his amp's speaker to get the nasty sound on early Kink's tracks, than maybe the Thermals put big holes in every speaker, their instruments, and the console, and ran over the tape a few times for good measure to get that authentic sludge sound.

More Parts Per Million is a great album and a great idea. My only fear is that this new sound may not last being stretched across several albums. It's one time brilliance that may be tarnished by repetition.

not just another side project
wow! after hearing their mp3 on sub pop's website i expected this release to be good, but honestly not this good! what we have here is a who's who of the northwest indie scene playing noisy rock with a strong leaning towards early 90's punk ( think f.y.p.) like the other review states: distorted everything, simple chord progressions, and very catchy vocal melodies...ben barnett from kind of like spitting plays guitar on this album, which that fact alone would have made me buy this record. but still, even when considering that, i am pleasantly suprised by just how amazing these songs actually are. forget all of mtv2's "rock revival" nonsense that is getting pushed so hard these days and pick up a copy of this...you won't be let down.

Early Ultravox, Sex Pistols -- Early Punk
Not bad. As the title says, there is a hint of early Wrok-Rock, John Foxx-lead Ultravox with the fast lyrics (about societal, informational collapse and isolation) and distorted vocals and punk power chords of the Sex Pistols. If these two bands appeal to you, pick it up.

Great band
Man who thinks anyone can do it: dude..thats the point. its punk rock, everyone is sposed to be able to do it. Its a music of the people. Take three chords and go start a band and maybe you won't be so uptight.

No No No
The review below says if you don't like the thermals that you're dumb. I'm sorry but i don't see how any one can listen to this crap that is considered music and see any form of talent. Anyone could pick up a guitar, bass, or drum sticks and play this garbage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The great thing about being part of a musical collective is that not only can you draw from the work of your peers for inspiration, you can rely on your peers themselves. As part of Elephant 6, the Apples in Stereo are involved in a symbiotic relationship with such like-minded bands as Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel. For example, Apples frontman Robert Schneider produced a previous OTC album and OTC controller William Cullen Hart designed the artwork for the Apples' new record, Her Wallpaper Reverie. So it's no surprise that Wallpaper sounds like a more cohesive sequel to OTC's mind-bending Black Foliage. What is surprising is just how vast an improvement it is over the Apples' last sugary pop disc, Tone Soul Evolution. A psychedelic excursion threaded together with chiming, repetitive interludes, the album blends the styles of Revolver-era Beatles with those of Smile-era Beach Boys, resulting in a shimmering pop cocktail that's both crafty and infectious. Only two flaws: the interludes become a tad annoying and the album is only 27 minutes long, leaving the listener begging for more. Fortunately, most CDs have a repeat-play button. --Jon Wiederhorn ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Too much noodling, not enough songcraft
Her Wallpaper Reverie is simultaneously one of the best and worst CDs I've listened to in a long time. How can it be both at once, you're asking? Well, it's rather like this...

On one hand, you have the Apples' trademark ability to synthesize 60s pop down to absolutely brilliant and tasty pop nuggets. "The Shiney Sea" floats by like a lone cloud on a sunny day, "Ruby" almost effortlessly manages to sound both like early Beatles and create a song as catchy as anything the Beatles did in their early days, and there's, of course, the brilliant "Strawberryfire," which almost manages to outdo Lennon's psychadelic sound experiments like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

However, with every brilliant song such as this, there is the horrendous filler. I rather like psychadelia, but the stopgap tracks between songs are pure directionless noodling. None of them start anywhere and most of them end nowhere, leaving you to scratch your head. And that says nothing about the concept of this CD either. Who in their right mind would actually RECORD a CD about what happens when you take a few too many bonghits and stare at the wallpaper for a while?

If The Apples in Stereo had managed to cut the terrible filler tracks, we'd have a lovely 7 song EP as opposed to the bloated 15 track one they released instead. As such, you're going to have to take the good with the bad on this one if you're going to buy it. Otherwise, check out some of the Apples' other CDs first.

Brilliant Pop Gem
This ep is lovely and quaint, fitting perfectly in my cd collection. I'm usually not a big fan of experimental interludes, but on this cd, they're short enough to maintain your interest. The first real track on here is the shiney sea, a spacey, psychotomimetic blast from the past. Very pyschadelic, very cool. Strawberryfire (so good) is the next full song. It's another 60s, beatlesque song with charming harmonies and blissful insouciance. Ruby is the next whole track. More jaunty pop fun. Next up are my two favorites on this disc, Questions & Answers, and Y2K. Both are superb tracks. Questions and Answers is another upbeat track that's extremely catchy and Y2K is a facetious mockery backed up by awesome music. Benefits of Lying and Ruby are the last two real tracks on the cd. These two are slower and more subdued than the other songs, but they're just as good. This ep is amazing, I recommend it to everybody.

This is a good album.
This is the first album I got of theirs. I bought it a few days ago.

I must admit the first time I heard it (which was on headphones), The musical interludes after almost every track gave me a headache. The interludes are good, with the exception of Drifting Patterns (It shouldn't be over a minute long, let alone two). But with every listen, it gets better and better. Even though I've only had it 9/23/03 and today is 9/27/03, It ranks as one of my favorites. Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend) and Questions & Answers are my favorites, but every track has its own special quality.

I must note that if you plan to listen to the whole album (musical interludes and all) and get the whole experience, listen to it aloud. But if you want to get a quick fix on headphones, just listen to tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 14.

This album is near perfect.

My First, Their Best
This was my first Apples in Stereo, and I still like it the best, even though I now have them all.

It has all the wonderful trademarks: innocent, upbeat vocals; wonderful melodies; groundbreaking use of funny instruments (LOTS of toy piano); surprising lyrics; humor; variety.

Even better, it's a Concept Album. Plus it takes on some social issues (like people who believe what they read in the Enquirer; end-of-the-world junkies).

It's great: Neo-Psychedelia at its best.

Is a CD worth it for 3 Good songs?
Hey, I just wanted to say that when I first heard this disc, Someone played me 3 of the songs on it. I thought it was wonderful, full of wonderful effects and recording tricks. Beautiful voices and great tone. The melody really soaked right in too. But when I got home and listened to it on Headphones, it gave me a headache because of all that Horrible soundscaping like "The APples inStereo Theme". I can not stand "trippy" stuff like that. I wish they wouldnt' have tried to make a concept EP because they were on the right track to hooking a good fan, but I just listen to the 3. Worth it for 5 bucks. ... Read more