A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the limited edition Girly-Sound To Guyville 7LP Box Set by Liz Phair. I confess that, when I first read about Liz Phair’s Girly-Sound cassettes in the SPIN Alternative Record Guide about thirty years ago (even in that, they only drew a passing mention in favor of focusing on Exile In Guyville and Whipsmart) , the whole idea sounded like an exercise in urban myth-making. Not that I hadn’t seen or heard an...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Empty Bottles LP by BOGOs. Strictly on the face of it, it’s really, really easy to mistake The BOGOs in general – and their Empty Bottles album in specific – as a novelty. Before listeners hear a note of music from the album, a story has already been told by the glaringly bright and garish color scheme which dominates the album’s artwork and is neatly supported by the collection of liquor...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “The Beast” b/w “Rebecca” split 7” single by The Drowns and Wonk Unit. Perhaps just to prove how versatile they can be, The Drowns’ “other” recently-released split 7” single (shared this time with Wonk Unit) illustrates just how far the band can stray from their established punk pedigree and steer into something closer to rockabilly without crashing, terribly. Some fans will scoff at such a change and they’re well within their...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Subculture Rock N’ Roll” b/w “Pleaser” split 7” single by The Drowns and Last Gang. Few things are as potentially harrowing for artists as a split 7” single release. Granted, a 7” can present several potential decisions which could make or break a band on the back of that release, but it’s even harder when a band has just one song to work with AND potentially has to compete with another...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Bambara’s Birthmarks LP. Frances Bacon may have famously claimed that, “In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present,” but he couldn’t possibly have accounted for the darkness sounding as fine as it does on Birthmarks, Bambara’s fifth studio album. Bands like The Dirty Three might ring bells in comparable quality, but they are all similar only in perfectly abstract terms and prove it as, for the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Jealous Butcher reissue of the Meaningless LP by Jon Brion. Sometimes, as good as a record might be, it just cannot buy a break. Take the Jealous Butcher reissue of Jon Brion’s Meaningless LP, for example; even a cursory listen effortlessly illustrates the album’s power pop perfection but, released as it was alongside albums like Gorillaz’ self-titled debut, Ani DiFranco’a Revelling/Reckoning, Sum 41’s All Killer, No Filler and Exciter by Depeche...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Burn All The Ships LP by Headstones. Since returning in 2013 with Love + Fury, the Headstones have illustrated that they can orchestrate a comeback with greater competence than most other bands. Over the last twelve years, the band has come back in a manner similar to how Hard Core Logo did in Bruce MacDonald’s mock/rockumentary before stripping their sound to bare bones, picking up acoustic instruments and revisiting their early...
Lilith’s Army Doll LP (Criminal Records) A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Doll LP by Lilith’s Army. While the claim that, as a musical form, Riot Grrl has evolved over time is an easy one to make (Sleater-Kinney has taken their sound and inspiration in several directions, and L7 has mutated a couple of times too), Lilith’s Army joyfully proves that remaining exactly where the music was thirty-five years ago – deep within a rough and ready...
The Brian Jonestown Massacre “Makes Me Great” b/w “Out Of Body” 10” (A Records) A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Makes Me Great” b/w “Out Of Body” 10” single by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Since beginning to self-release their records twenty years ago, Brian Jonestown Massacre has unilaterally chosen to not only take control of their output, they’ve occasionally proven that they’re not above getting very, very self indulgent in service of their muse. That often means...
The Peawees One Ride LP (Wild Honey/Spaghetty Town Records) A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the One Ride LP by The Peawees. While it would be difficult to call what The Peawees do on their debut album particularly unique or innovative (from front to back, the band makes the most of its own barroom rock aesthetic, and seasons in horns to make the standout cuts on the album sparkle and shine), actually listening to One Ride can win...