Monday, April 15, 2002

Splendid "Have You Got a Name for It" (Mammoth, 1999): Janice set my expectations low for this one; it features Angie Hart from Frente along with her musical husband, but it lacks what made Frente so unique. It's not bad or anything, it's just kind of standard relationship-pop fare without much musical flair or special personality. Plus I didn't really need to see and hear about their tattoos of each others' names--that's a little too Pam & Tommy for me.

Spoonfed Hybrid s/t (Guernica/4AD, 1993): This has the ex-Pale Saints dude, right? He and his partner in crime (from another band? I'll have to ask Janice) create some esoteric stuff here...it's pretty hard to describe for someone like me who isn't hep to this milieu. It's mellow and arty, kinda experimental...maybe sorta like David Sylvian or something? I dunno, I feel like I'm way out of my element here.

Suddenly, Tammy! s/t (SpinArt, 1993): I don't know whether it's that I never gave them a fair shake, or if it's that my musical tastes are just more inclusive now, but either way I feel like a goob for not getting into this a lot sooner. This is fantastic, intelligent piano/bass/drums pop, not entirely unlike Ben Folds Five (whom I also dig), with complex song structures and intriguing semi-oblique lyrics, capped off with Beth Sorrentino's distinctive voice. If, like me, you only knew Tammy! from their semi-hit "Lamp", you really owe it to yourself to give this a listen. To use the old SAT analogy gimmick, this is to Carole King what latter-day Lilys is to early Kinks. "(We Get There When We Do.)" (Warner Bros., 1995): Their compositions get even more sophisticated and less immediately "pop" here, which is to say that this is one of those CDs that should reward repeated close listening. There's also a broader pallette of moods and some achingly gorgeous stuff here. I don't know if or how Warner Bros. planned to steer Tammy! toward mainstream acceptance...they're too complex for pop radio, and there's no personality/subject-matter hook like with, say, Tori Amos. I hope they came out of their deal OK. "Shut Up, It's Christmas" EP (Warner Bros., 1995): What a treat for Tammy! fans (of which I can now count myself): a handful of lovely holiday-relevant originals with a couple of traditional Christmas tunes, including "Linus & Lucy" (the Charlie Brown theme) and the best version of "Deck the Halls" I've ever heard. The last track is pure fun for anyone who grew up on animated Christmas TV specials. Okay, Janice, time for another Where Are They Now...

Tarnation "Gentle Creatures" (4AD, 1995): Here's a prime example of a band that seems to be adopting an "alt-country" twang more out of a conscious stylistic choice rather than out of authenticity. The singer channels Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette more or less accurately, and the band ably provides the spare, down-tempo backing. It sounds like a living band trying to recreate the sound of a band of country-music ghosts: the illusion isn't 100% successful. They almost pull it off, but it might work better if the songs were more affecting and less affected.

 posted by mike baehr 10:21 AM

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Techno-Squid Eats Parliament s/t (Ardent, 1994): Worst band name ever. They're not techno, they're not funkadelic...in fact, they're pretty straight-ahead pop-rock. They bust out a couple of traditional instruments here and there, like mandolin and accordian, but there's never any danger they're going to turn into a jam band or anything like that--they keep things pretty tight. A couple of songs have a bit of a less-peyote-addled early Meat Puppets feel. I don't think these guys were even trying to be hip in any way--I get the feeling they just wanted to be a good Original Rock Band with some catchy tunes, and if so, they succeeded here.

 posted by mike baehr 12:28 PM

Wednesday, April 17, 2002

Television Personalities "They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles" (1979-82; Velvel reissue, 1997): Boy, Velvel really cranked out the reissues back in '97, huh? And they sent 'em all to Copacetic and Janice never listened to 'em. Tsk tsk. Just kidding! Actually, I think she'd like this one: it sounds like the unearthed tapes of a great lost '60s garage-pop band. It's lovably lo-fi and the performances are a little bit loose and rough, but the great songwriting shines through, and there are some psychedelic flourishes and cheap keyboards that add to the charm. Dan Treacy's lyrics include some satire and wry social commentary a la the Kinks, and they do a couple of nifty Creation covers (though I don't know why he sings like Bob Dylan on "Makin' Time"). A few of the songs drag a tiny bit, but overall this is pretty stellar. I wonder if I still have my TVP cassette...

10,000 Maniacs "You Happy Puppet" EP (Elektra, 1989): "Oh no...so pretentious!" That was Janice's reaction when she found out I was bringing her 10kM CDs today (most of her Maniacs stuff is on cassette or LP, though). Well, Natalie does tend to be rather...serious. But Janice shouldn't be too embarrassed...I mean, when I was in high school, I was listening to Rush for pete's sake. Anyhoo...hey, one of these b-sides sounds an awful lot like Belle & Sebastian. "Candy Everybody Wants" EP (Elektra, 1992): Say what you will, but this song has hooks galore. The b-sides are all covers...it's a nice try, but Natalie just can't pull off a Smiths song the way Morrissey could. And even though Natalie and Michael Stipe are chums, I don't think the Maniacs convey the bitterness of "Don't Go Back to Rockville". "Few And Far Between" EP (Elektra, 1993): Natalie "rocks the vote" with this benefit CD with live b-sides featuring Michael and David Byrne. So was "To Sir with Love" supposed to be some kind of tribute to Bill Clinton? I hope not, because...ew. "Love Among the Ruins" (Geffen, 1997): Even if you're not a fan of Natalie you have to concede that at least she gave the Maniacs some personality. They kept soldiering on after she left, but the new singer they got didn't exactly inspire them to greatness, at least not as evidenced here. I imagine any Maniacs fan (Janice included) would be disappointed with this disc of mild adult-contemporary fare.

That Dog s/t (Geffen, 1994): Ah, to be young, upper-middle-class, and full of angst in Los Angeles. But to dismiss That Dog as a bunch of whiny privileged kids would be to miss out on their sardonic humor, which made me chuckle more than once here, and the truly unique pop sound they created with their combination of kinda-primitive punkish rock with violin and 3-part vocal harmonies. "Totally Crushed Out!" (Geffen, 1995): The music is a little more accomplished, the humor is a little more deadpan, the angst is a little more mature. This is a good example of truth in packaging: it's designed to look like that Judy Blume-style book that you could never bring yourself to get rid of. I think I'm a few years too old for the subject matter to really hit home with me, but I appreciate the deceptively simple craft behind the lyrics: they're mostly a series of short, colloquial declarations, but they get a lot of milage out of repeating lines with slight variations that produce changes in meaning. I'm gaining a newfound respect for this band.

 posted by mike baehr 11:29 AM

Thursday, April 18, 2002

That Dog "Retreat from the Sun" (Geffen, 1997): Janice has played this at home before, and I remember almost every single song, so that's a good sign right there. The songs are all solid, confident, and full of energy; they never outstay their welcome and the hooks stick like maple syrup. There's nary a dud to be found. The production is polished and radio-ready, but they never ever sound generic or lapse into rock cliches. The lyrics are still conversational yet clever...I applaud That Dog's ability to be accessible and maintain their uniqueness at the same time (see yesterday for previous albums). They really reach a pinnacle of pop songwriting here...it's too bad they apparently broke up after this.

Tramway "A Brand of Lovin'" (Siesta, 1992): Is there a connection between this band and Orange Juice? Because they sound pretty similar, and I swear one of these songs is an Orange Juice song, though it's not credited as such (unless OJ covered Tramway). There's so much mythology around British indiepop bands, which seems to be important to appreciation of the genre, and truth be told, I'm pretty ignorant of most of it, so I have no idea where this group fits into the whole pantheon. Context aside, though, there are a few mix tape-worthy gems here, and a sort of proto-Belle & Sebastian feel to some of it.

The Trash Can Sinatras "A Happy Pocket" (Go! Discs, 1996): Now that I think of it, I've listened to this before, since Janice put 2 songs on mix tapes for me. I really like how all the clever wordplay and sardonic wit of their lyrics is delivered with such a plaintive vocal style, and musically their sophisticated pop is embellished with nice jazzy and folky flourishes. Overall it's a nice contrast of posh and earthy.

Trembling Blue Stars "Lips That Taste of Tears" (Shinkansen, 1998): My indiepopper peers will be appalled that I haven't listened to these already. They might also be aghast to learn that I don't love this wholeheartedly. It's an interesting and well-crafted blend of electronic dancey stuff and mellow, Mazzy Star-esque stylings, with the occasional burst of rock dynamics. The thing is, it's all so careful and considered, and the vocals are so unexpressive, that the overall effect is cold and distancing. Now if that were the intention, that would be one thing, but since the lyrics are so emotional, it just seems wrong. "The Rainbow" EP (Shinkansen, 1997): This highlights the strongest dance track on "Lips..." with a couple of b-sides, one of which ventures into faux-country...that seems to be a de rigeur exercise for British pop bands. TBS TBC tomorrow...

 posted by mike baehr 11:21 AM

Friday, April 19, 2002

Trembling Blue Stars "Broken by Whispers" (Sub Pop, 2000): Now this is more like it (see yesterday's TBS comments). The music is more dynamic on this one and the vocals are more expressive. It just feels warmer and more alive, even when it's sad. Also, Bob Wratten seems to have abandoned his dance-floor ambitions here, which gives this a more consistent feel. The dancey stuff on the last album was good, and there are still some cool electronic blips and bloops on this one, but I think he made a wise choice. I still have one tiny quibble in that his lyrics tend to be kind of general, and I think I'm more of the specific "show, don't tell" school, but that's just a personal taste matter.

Tsunami "World Tour And Other Destinations" (Simple Machines, 1995): I already have some of this material in its original format (singles & comp tracks), but the first half is all new to me. You know, a lot of attention gets heaped on the personality and politics of Tsunami's leaders, but I don't think I've ever seen much focus given to the actual music. That's a shame, because they really created a unique and distinctive sound with their rhythmic, mostly minor-key, twin-guitar attack.

Tuscadero "The Pink Album" (Elektra/TeenBeat, 1996): You know, Tuscadero's "let's play rockstar" schtick was kind of cute at first, but man did it get old really fast. Even if it's all supposed to be a joke or ironic or whatever, that doesn't mean anyone should have to suffer through these cringe-inducing lyrics. And I'm sorry but lame "do me" double entendres do not equal "post-feminism" or empowerment or whatever: they're just annoying. What was really mystifying was that I know Janice feels even more strongly about this sort of thing than I do, but she says she keeps these for the few innocent songs, like "Nancy Drew", and ignores the rest. "My Way Or the Highway" (Elektra/TeenBeat, 1998): And another thing: apparently, no one ever taught Tuscadero that brevity is the soul of wit. A lot of these songs go on a lot longer than they need to. Also, apparently no one told them that if you have a song about having a positive self-image, you lose all your points if you follow it a few songs later with a song about being a drunken slut. There are actually a few songs on here that forego the gimmicks and shock value and didn't make me want to barf, but it wasn't really worth enduring the crud to get to them.

 posted by mike baehr 2:56 PM