Album Reviews, Part Two

I got six CDs for Christmas, so, of course, I haven't written up reviews for three of them.  Fittingly, here they are.

UNDER THE BUSHES, UNDER THE STARS - GUIDED BY VOICES - 7/10
Under the Bushes, Under the Stars was, as far as I know, GBV's first produced sounding album, which led to the eventual leaving of the basement for the studio after the original lineup broke up (Kim Deal from The Pixies is cited as producer).  This album was also, the final one (until the new GBV album, which I need to get) to include the original line-up, including my favorite Paul Simon sound-alike, Tobin Sprout.  In many ways, then, it is kind of a hybrid between new GBV and old GBV.  It follows on Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes, two of the best albums of the Nineties, and features the myriad songs and the sort of Lo-Fi meets 1970's aesthetic of its more famous predecessors, but also the complete song length of their later albums.  In general, it's good, but not great.  It's probably more solid than Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes in its entirety - there is no "Pimple Zoo" or "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows" on Under the Bushes - but the highs aren't as high - there's no "Smothered in Hugs" or "My Valuable Hunting Knife", no career defining songs, although "Ghosts of a Different Dream" and "No Sky" are close to Pollard at his best.  Also, GBV purists may prefer the home-made feel of their other albums.  Even so, it's a decent album and obviously a must for GBV fans.  I probably prefer it to Isolation Drills - a post-Sprout GBV album that I have.

GOD FODDER - NED'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN - 8/10
First off, the title is so awkward to say in public, because it makes you sound like you have a speech impediment.  Even so, God Fodder is perhaps one of the most attitudinous and fun albums I've come across.  The famous two bassist formation makes it sound a bit like music made for video games, but it actually has some spirit (or just punk attitude) to it all the same.  Always cynical and eye-rolling, none of these songs are boring, although not particularly edgy, and songs like "Grey Cell Green", "Happy", and "Capital Letters" are somehow heartfelt at the same time.

GRAND PRIX - TEENAGE FANCLUB - 9/10
Let me preface this by noting that I still haven't found a copy of A Catholic Education, so my knowledge is incomplete, but I think Grand Prix may be Teenage Fanclub's best album.  It takes the sparkle of Bandwagonesque to the max, and while it lacks any of the grunginess or youthfulness present there, I suggest that A Catholic Education is probably a better place for that anyway, and the songwriting in Grand Prix, featuring masterpieces by Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley ("Sparky's Dream" and "Verisimilitude" respectively) that made me wonder why Blake has been the main songwriter for the band, Grand Prix is definitely an album that will lift you up.  It somehow pulls off being delightfully saccharine while remaining fresh after multiple plays, which is probably the goal of Teenage Fanclub in the first place.  "Sparky's Dream", "Verisimilitude", and "Going Places" are highlights.

Album Reviews

So, I got a bunch of CDs for Christmas, and I'm bored, so I'm going to review them in this post:

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH LOVE - BUILT TO SPILL - 9.5/10
This album is absolutely brilliant.  I've had Perfect from Now On for about a year now, so I was no stranger to Martsch's writing ability, but I'm still shocked with how amazing TNWWL is.  Perfect from Now On is one of the best albums of all time, artistically speaking, and plays off a philosophical depth and serious musical experimentation that is nearly unequaled outside of Slint, Rodan, et al.  There's Nothing Wrong with Love, however, is, in my mind, even better.  Where Perfect from Now On (the follow up to TNWWL) is deep and, at times, cold, TNWWL is just a fun and warm album that also strikes at deep thought in a sort of roundabout way.  "Reasons", "The Source", and "Big Dipper" are my favorite tracks, and the hidden track "Preview" is hilarious.

FOREVER AGAIN - ERIC'S TRIP - 7/10
Much like the Built to Spill albums, Forever Again is a very different album from its predecessor Love, Tara, which I already had.  Both employ the same Lo-Fi, Garage Rock type sound, but the focus seems different.  The strength of Love, Tara was its tremendously subtle songwriting, most effective in "Stove" and "To Know Them", and this makes it a very enjoyable album.  Forever Again is equally enjoyable when one listens through it, but has very different strengths.  Subtlety is largely cast aside here, as can be seen in "December '93" and "Run Away", which have somewhat clunky lyrics.  On the other hand, the musical experimentation of Forever Again, although Eric's Trip always sounds somewhat avante-garde, makes up for this, and tracks like "View Master" and "Waiting All Day" are fun and different bits of songwriting.

GUITAR ROMANTIC - THE EXPLODING HEARTS - 8/10
Numerous critics have pointed out the contrast between one's expectations of musical revivalism - that is, of cliché and often poor songwriting - and the results in Guitar Romantic, which are, in short, fantastic. With a similar whit and energy to early Clash at their less brash moments ("Stay Free" or "Capital Radio One") but with an apolitical stance, The Exploding Hearts made a fun and at times touching punk rock album; kind of a throwback Is This It.  "Throwaway Style" and "I'm a Pretender" are highlights, and the rest is solid if un-groundbreaking.

Updated Queue - After Xmas

So Christmas has come and gone.  I refer you here to Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble: http://www.myspace.com/idlewild/blog/523095502 .  I watched the movie Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen today, and was definitely able to relate to Lindsay Lohan's fandom of the lead singer guy, who actually seems like Liam Gallagher in movie character form, if that's the only thing to which I could really relate :P

Here's my list after having it chipped away at a bit:

1. Diary - Sunny Day Real Estate
2. A Catholic Education - Teenage Fanclub 
3. The Remote Part  - Idlewild
4. Verdena - Verdena
5. A Storm in Heaven - The Verve
6. Pygmalion - Slowdive
7. Be Here Now - Oasis
8. Dog Man Star - Suede
9. Four Great Points - June of 44
10. Bright Ideas - Portastatic
11. Fantastic Planet - Failure
12. Warnings/Promises - Idlewild
13. The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle - The Sex Pistols
14. On the Mouth - Superchunk15. Indoor Living - Superchunk
16. First Edition - The Fruit Tree Foundation
17. Suede - Suede
18. Lovelife - Lush
19. A Northern Soul - The Verve
20. Future Signs - Warm Jets