5 comments about Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements.

1. THIS is the album I used to play before going out at night. Because of rock, noise, pop, and bossa. The neighbours wanted to kill me everytime "Our triniton blast" ended. And I'd wait all night until "Jenny Ondioline" fades out.
   I think this is the one which defines best their style. Absolutely classic.



2. This was Stereolab at its peak. A synthesis of sexy 60's pop culture noise, Neu-esque drone rock, and Jean Jacques Perrey's space age pop, with a 90's indie rock bend. This cd was my intro to stereolab in 1993 and it is their most memorable and rewarding in the end.
   "Tone Burst" is a perfect example of a kind of cheeky 60's french pop thing with its droney vintage analog bleeps and Laetitia Sadier's sexy vocals gliding over the background in a manner that even touches upon "The Gift" by the VU. " Pack Yr Romantic mind" has that bossa thing going on for the first time in Stereolab's sound. "Im going out of my way" is an upbeat 60's rave up that ends with this cool experimental analog noise. "Jenny ondioline" is like a homage to NEU! clocking around 17 minutes of Sonic Youth-y, shoegazer-ish drone rock. If you can find it, there is a limited edition single for Jenny Ondioline that has a 3:51 edit of Jenny O and 3 rockin B-sides, most notably "French Disko", which later appeared in another version on Switched on Vol 2 on Drag City Records.
   Any way you look at it this period of Sterolab was my favorite, and this cd is a great introduction to Sterolab's genius. It may even be the best, most consistent snapshot we'll ever see from Stereolab.



3. I just feel a fondness and simplicity with sound and ideology that seems more integrated on this album. "To compose, Decompose, and recompose...de ma paresse". PAUSE is an incredibly blissful indulgence in sound and lyricism, haunting the texture of historic knowledge with emotion (just my take). Warm analogue music, ironically categorized as electronica/avant garde. If you don't know Stereolab, you are missing out!



4. If Stereolab made videogames instead of music, this would be Mario 2. It's the oddball, the one that doesn't fit right in snugly with the others (even in its own time frame). But it's up there with the best of them.
   Following Peng's humble melodies, this is the only Stereolab album that actually sounds like the nineties. As with Peng, the music is heavily distorted (grainier, but mixed more professionally), but on this album, even the vocals get distorted and we even get to hear the two of them raise their voices from time to time, if only seldom. Much of this album focuses on white noise that builds up as songs continue on, rather than have a crescendo (some songs have great crescendos too, though). Jenny Ondioline (part of which comes from the "Exploding Head Movie" b-side) is an 18 minute track comprised of likely no more than five chords--it is the buildup of white noise that keeps this song interesting, and it really is a great song.
   If you're a Stereolab fan who hasn't yet heard this album, but has heard everything else, you are bound to be shocked. It's loud, it's noisy, it's so...nineties. Songs like "Golden Ball" and "Our Trinitone Blast" will dispel your idea of Stereolab being constantly boppy and overtly happy. There are some really dark tracks on this album! The last track, "Lock-Groove Lullaby" is probably the darkest on the album.
   I love Stereolab and I love this album. It's not as good as Mars Audiac Quintet, but what is? Every single song on this is great music to just space out to and contemplate the day. It's weird, it's amusing, it's frightening, and it's the ballsiest move by this groop in the first half of their career. Give it a spin. This one's worth checking out, Stereolab fan or not.



5. but still good in its own right. this song has a few very good songs on it, like crest, pack yr romantic mind, our trinitone blast, and the last song (that great melody comes up at the end of the 8th track as well and is a breath of fresh air). but mostly it represents an aspect of stereolab i dont like, which also comes up in their "space age bachelor pad music" album. while some people call this "decadence", i think thats a rather slick synonym for "repetitive". this cd is definitely not one you can listen to closely and enjoy from beginning to end. i mean, one song is almost 20 minutes long and is basically 1 chord throughout. no changes for 20 minutes. dont get me wrong, i am a huge stereolab fan and have seen them live (theyre great live, but mary hansen is dead now). one of the great things about later stereolab is how the songs daringly change to something you would have never imagined possible at the onset of the song, like jazz in a way. i really tried to love this album since i paid for it new, but i cant like it nearly as much as mars audiac quintet or dots and loops, both of which i have never paid for. those are the essential 'lab albums, with emperor tomato ketchup trailing closely behind.

5 comments about Flamejob.

1. The magic just isn't here anymore. I think that every cramps fiend's affection comes from the fact that these guys struggled through pretty much every kind of hardship a band can face (except for a lack of purpose, drive, and motivation) throughout the wild and wooly days of the early punk scene. even the punks didn't get these guys. This album is just too artificial sounding to be a real cramp's album. it sounds like a novelty album for kids. I loved "sinners", though. and for that I gave it another star.



2. Visually, the Cramps had lost none of their impact with this collection and the supporting tour, yet there is something of a pause here in their oeuvre, for this is the point at which the Cramps leapt from basement nightmares to graduate school appreciation that invoked the use of pretentious French words by irony aware critics. And with that audience solidified-however much the Cramps may disdain a fickle esthete fan base-the expectation for "Flame Job" was high. Instead, the Cramps did it their way and delivered yet another Cramps album.
   
   Stand out songs that invoke your ooze are "Ultra Twist" and "Swing the Big Eyed Rabbit," but a departure is the nearly haunting "Strange Love" that begs to be covered by Mazzy Star, or at least Hope Sandoval. This curious tune and "Sinners" in the mix suggests that the Cramps were on the border of flirting with torch songs as a step towards innuendo over double-entendre for lyrical sexual allusions. As the album loses with a definitive well worn cover of Route 66 this possibility remains unexplored. Ivy's guitar work on "Route 66" is exemplary, both spare and alluring, is among her finest work and further demonstrates that she is a more accomplished artist than eye candy in a leotard.
   
   In sum, this album does not equal "Songs the Lord Taught Us" or "Stay Sick!" for sheer appeal, but it has more merits than simply being an object for Cramps completists.



3. Pretty much your usual Cramps record here.No complaints though.'Flamejob' is no doubt a highly energetic fueled CD that's sure to fully please any Cramps fan,rather he/she be old school or new.Plenty of foot-stompers here,like "Mean Machine","Ultra Twist"(miss seeing the video),"Let's Get F**ked Up",their abuse song "Naked Girl Falling Down The Stairs","Trapped Love" and "Route 66".As the Cramps seem to always deliver the goods,another great psychobilly release to hold and to cherish.A true keeper.



4. This is a typical album by the rockabilly influenced punk rock group, or punk influenced rockabilly group, depending how you look at it. It features the usual strange sexual innuendo laden original songs and obscure cover songs (although "Route 66" isn't very obscure). This album isn't as good as some of their "classic" albums, but their fans should still dig it.



5. The Cramps are another one of my most favorite bands. I possess every studio album they released, including 2003's "Fiends of Dope Island." With their own warped rockabilly rhythms and catchy lyrics, the Cramps have developed a huge and faithful cult following of college graduates (like myself), and artsy freaks. This 1994 album features the classic "Ultra Twist," which to me is the most infectious dance song since "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. A few of the other songs, most notably "Nest of the Cuckoo Bird" and "Sado County Auto Show" contain both easy chorus hooks and lots of obvious sexual innuendos. It also seems that the Cramps (after coming off the excesses of the late 1980's) have been inspired by past historical art movements and have taken them in as part of a way of life. "Let's Get F*cked UP" is not only about psychedelic drugs, but also about leaving behind society's oppressive views on "good" art, and instead immersing onself in Surrealism (which became famous because its images came straight from both dreams and the mind)The funny, punk-style "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" was actually inspired by the "Nude Descending a Staircase" painting by Dada artist Marcel Duchamp. Lux even mentions Pablo Picasso in "I'm Customized." "How Come you Do Me" and a couple the other later tracks are in the style of Rhythm & Blues, with Lux's famous Elvis-impersonator vocals. I must recommend this album to savy music buyers all over the world. Let Amazon know that the Cramps will never die!

5 comments about Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

1. I once read in "EG" in the Melbourne "Age" that Pavement were a landmark band - something never challenged until the bitterly critical reviews by "janitor-x" who saw Pavement as a "rip-off" and emotionless. I really felt I had to listen, and my brother's record collection made that task easy.
   
   Slanted and Enchanted was as bad a mess as you will ever hear: not so much emotionless as unfocused and often overblown so that it is not the alternative it is presumed to the terrible grunge that dominated the airwaves back then. On their second album "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain", Pavement at least become much more focused than they were on their debut. They write actual songs in a way seldom in evidence on "Slanted", and "Stop Breathing" is quite touching even if it is a type of song I have heard rather too much of in recent years.
   
   The famous "Cut Your Hair", however, could be grunge if it were less sparsely produced and Malkmus's voice really is terrible when he tries to hit the loud parts. The badge on the inside which copies Aerosmith exactly, suggests Pavement secretly want to be a true "hard rock" band but still have credential with the rock critics. "5-4 = Unity" is actually a real rip-off of Sonic Youth as "janitor-x" said many times, whilst "Range Life" predates the annoying radio pop of the 2000s and Pavement seemingly refuse to rage. "Hit The Plane Down" sounds like funk-metal with terrible synthesised vocals. "Fillmore Jive" though, has quite real passion without being overblown, yet is not enough to redeem all the failed experiments of previous tracks, especially as Malkmus' voice lacks real intimacy and is too close to hair-metal for comfort.
   
   Whilst this is better than Pavement's debut, it is still quite ordinary and even the better songs have been done more consistently elsewhere. Also, people see Pavement as "lo-fi" innovators, but beyond their recording methods they often sound either like grunge with hair metal vocals or ordinary 2000s radio pop. "janitor-x" really has a point about them being one of the most overrated bands in music history.



2. One of the few major alternative rock bands from the 90s to be able to honestly grasp that title (most were either too obscure to be major or got a lot of radio play and lost that "alt" label), Pavement did score a big underground hit with "Cut Your Hair," one of the best singles of the decade that a lot of people have still never heard. On their second album, Pavement continue their slacker vibe tradition and crank out warm and melodic pop songs with a hard rock attitude. They didn't go for the pink noise effect or try to change the world with their "omniscient" observations, but preferred the less groundbreaking method--and it worked.
   
   "Fillmore Jive" is a rare epic for them, and one of their all-time best tracks. "Unfair" and "Stop Breathin'" are thoroughly underrated gems and "Silence Kit" has a smooth and buried melody that's gorgeous beneath the hard-tuned guitar line. Only the disappointingly tepid "Heaven Is a Truck" doesn't hit the mark.
   
   Teeters on the brink of great album and true masterpiece--replayability threatens to tip it over, but its product-of-its-times factor keeps on pushing it back (so many smaller bands have aped their successful ingredients, that it loses some of its freshness). Fans of the band probably own about three copies of this by now; fans of indie and alternative rock must have it if they don't already.
   
   Best cuts: "Fillmore Jive," "Silence Kit," "Cut Your Hair," "Unfair," "Stop Breathin'," "Newark Wilder," "Gold Soundz," "Range Life," "Elevate Me Later," "5-4=Unity," "Hit the Plane Down"



3. I enjoy pavement. Reviewing music is difficult due to the fact that liking music revolves around personal taste. That being said, if you are a fan of pavement, this cd is for you. I enjoy the vocals, melodies, and lyrics of this album. This is my 2nd favorite album by the group, and if you don't own it and are considering purchasing it, GO FOR IT, YOU WON'T BE LET DOWN.



4. I was in Florida on vacation the day Kurt Cobain shot himself. I remember staring out into the ocean trying to understand why he would do such a thing. Later that night I saw the video for 'Cut Your Hair' and my world shifted ever so slightly. I bought this record on the recommendation of a friend who was an avid ministry fan. I'm not sure how or why he knew about it but I owe him big time. The thing is when I got this record I hated the sh*t out of it. It was terrible, the worst music ever, oh my god, my allowance for the year...WASTED. But somehow I kept listening and slowly it crept in between my synapses and has been blocking the flow of relevant thoughts ever since. When you listen to the music you feel filled with sad beams of sunlight. You are traveling across the desert with an ex-girlfriend to drop her off in a different city. But you are strangely at peace with this and you are angry in a fun way. You want to f*ck s*it up...melodically. Gold Soundz, Fillmore Jive, Elevate Me Slowly, Unfair, Range Life, and Silence Kit are all brilliant individually. The rest of the songs are essential to make the album whole. This is my favorite album of all time.



5. i didn't get why my older bro used to liek this, though i always thought cut your hair was funny, but now i think i get it,

5 comments about When I Was Born for the 7th Time.

1. Well, at least now I know what he was saying! I'd first heard that song years ago when it got some radio play, and could not for the life of me figure out what Mr. Singh was talking about. Then, I heard it again recently on XM, I think it was channel 75 and the title and name of the group finally got to me.
   
   Frank Sinatra used to say if you've got one song that everyone loves and wants to hear, you've got yourself a career. Well, Cornershop has moved on with other recordings and I daresay they've got one. "Brimful of Asha" is an irresistable pop hook, two guitar chords and the sampling work somehow add up to a good song. Asha for those who don't know if apparently Singh's muse, a Bollywood actress (who may be the woman on the cover, but I am not sure).
   
   Cornershop is a melding of Indian culture, music and rhythms with Brit-pop sensitivity, and while it's fine for one song I'm sorry to say there's not much here that really moves me. The production sounds like it was done in somebody's bedroom. In a way that is not bad, sounds a bit organic, but in any case most of the songs after "Asha" just don't work for me.
   
   I think you could say this was a start at better things for Cornershop, and I certainly hope so. I have in fairness not heard any other recordings, so I am sure the art will improve with time. For now, this is OK, but I was hoping for a bit more stretching out.



2. I originally was attracted to this cd because I had heard the song, "Brimful of Asha," played on VH1 Radio online.
   
   After purchasing this cd, I am so diggin' it!
   
   Particular great tracks:
   #1 Sleep on the Left Side
   #2 Brimful of Asha - one of the most addictive songs ever!
   #5 We're in Yr Corner - feels like such an Indian rock song... I could imagine the Beatles originally writing this while on retreat in India w/ Ravi Shankar... it's so awesome.
   #11 It's Good To Be On The Road Again
   #12 It's Indian Tobacco My Friend
   #15 Norweigan Wood - a great cover of the classic
   
   I would compare this cd to the LP, "Ravi Shankar - Family and Friends," with a bit of The Beatles, "Magical Mystery Tour," and 70's funk all blended together. Totally a fun cd, great for when you want to turn off your mind, relax and float downstream... if you catch my drift.



3. I get this album after a long period of "what the hell am I supposed to listen to, now?" And I really don't know what to expect. I guess I was hoping deep down inside that not every song on "When I Was Born" would have the cheesy melodies and redundancy of "Brimful of Asha" but would have some of the catchiness and groove. I didn't really know if that was possible. But I figured that it was worth the risk at less than a buck used on Amazon.
   So yeah, I've had Brimful in my head for four days now. The rest of it? Not really. It's one folksy hit song and a couple other thrown together bits of guitar work and then a whole ton of drum loops and remix sounds. For a while it's a simple beat and some noise generated by somebody who just now figured out how to spin a record but doesn't really know what to do with it. Then it's layers of simple noises that come together to weave a recording, sort of like Beck, only softer and farther back. And then it falls into something like Cake only with a more rehersed melody.
   
   It's not bad, but it's not really good, either. Nice for ambience without actually paying attention, driving for long stretches, or falling asleep. Or passing out.



4. Don't get me wrong, this is a good album, but I actually think 'Handcream For A Generation' is much better. Other than it's interesting fusion of Eastern-tinged music and indie-rock, it's a little puzzling why 'When I Was Born For The 7th Time' continues to be celebrated. It's good, but not stellar. Other than the groovy-riffs of 'Brimful Of Asha' and 'Good Shit', most of the album is a lo-fi hip-hop mish-mash of sitars and electronics, not unlike 'Odelay' by Beck. I suppose if you want a pastiche of breezy world music with heavy rhythms/beats, this album is for you, but so much of the hip-hop model has been done since the late 90's, this sound isn't as innovative now that the cut-and-paste template has saturated the mainstream.



5. most all of the songs on here have the coolest, upbeat, artistic vibe. SPIN magazine put this as the number 1 album of 1997 (and OK Computer #2) they've since admitted to being embarassed by that, and rightfully so, but this IS a great album, and probably one of the top 5 of that year. it's a sound collage of an album, like "Odelay", or "Pauls Boutique", but it's more organic than those two, steering more towards live instruments. if you like that type of music, this'll be up your alley.

5 comments about Source Tags & Codes.

1. The CD came in on time and even if it came in late, you can't beat 88 cents for a good cd.



2. Seriously. It's loud, melodic, and awesome. You'll play it beginning to end, over and over. Their best, and one of the best of the past decade.



3. Some may have been quick to throw the label of masterpiece on Source Tags & Codes, but even while it falls short of being an instant classic, there's more than enough reasons to seek it out. It's simultaneously challenging and accessible, a difficult quality to wind up with in indie rock. The song structures and musical rhythms are complicated, there are arty interludes and song switches, and buzzsaw guitars doing as much screeching as thrilling. But strip away those bits and you're left with a melodic rock record that almost anyone could embrace.
   
   There are nearly flawless hooks in "How Near How Far" and "Relative Ways," showcasing the band's edgy pop side. And on a drawn-out epic like "Monsoon," there's an almost tangible unpredictability that keeps the listener on edge (it never truly pays off, but has enough strong moments to rank as one of the albums better tracks). Intro, "Invocation," and the interlude, "After the Laughter," both coast by on a similar simple melody, so pretty that I can't even qualify them as throwaways. The album's best moment comes from "Baudelaire," a relatively straight rock song replete with driving guitars and reverb, both melodic and powerful. "Homage" stumbles and falls over its own mountain of excess and "Heart in the Hand of the Matter" is groping blindly for the gravity it needs to survive after soaring too high into the overkill stratosphere. But they're little quibbles, and abundance isn't so much of a bad thing.
   
   Even with them there, I almost never hit the skip button because the album flows so well. Flaws and all, Source Tags & Codes is a great record, one which time and reflection should be kind upon, and I can't fault those who heralded it as a work of genius. Certain moments do make that promise and falling a few inches short is just fine by me.
   
   Best cuts: "Baudelaire," "How Near Is Far," "Monsoon," "Source Tags & Codes," "Relative Ways," "It Was There That I Saw You," "Another Morning Stoner," "Days of Being Wild"



4. Trail of Dead's 3rd album was also their major label debut after being on small indie labels. Source Tags and Codes caught the record buying public by surprise....it was a critical success but rather a commercial failure, which must have frustrated the band (and label!). However, as someone who has been into this band from day #1, this is nothing less than a fantastic album and a perfect melding of all of the elements that make Trail of Dead one of the best and most exciting rock bands around today.
   
   This album perfectly blends the more anarchistic, loud, and bombastic tendencies of their first two records (their self-titled debut and sophomore effort Madonna, both superb) with the more melodic and proggy tendencies they have brought in, especially as evidenced by where they went with 2005's Worlds Apart and their forthcoming album, So Divided (I can only imagine!)
   
   This album starts off with It Was There That I Saw You and from there moves from strength to strength, going to Another Morning Stoner and Baudelaire. The centerpiece of this album has to be the almost operatic suite of How Near How Far, Heart In the Hand of the Matter, Monsoon, and Days of Being Wild. Moving from bombastic choruses, plaintive sections, and almost epic overtures in between, this, the "meat" of the record, if you will, is just beyond beautiful in all its forms. The album ends with the almost-poppy Relative Ways, the melancholy little instrumental After the Laughter, and the calming title track....listen after it ends to hear a spine-tingling string quartet play the main theme from How Near How Far as the album slowly ends.....gorgeous.
   
   Trail of Dead are a phenomenal band and one worthy of more recognition and praise than they get. If you're tired of horrid garbage like The Killers, the Strokes, My Chemical Romance, or any other derivative garbage loved by hipsters and the "Rolling Stone intelligentsia", give Trail of Dead a shot. This would be the perfect album to start with.



5. When I was 17, I discovered Source Tags & Code almost accidentally. I think I stumbled across it while trying to get into At the Drive-In (which never happened), the band who a lot of people say the Trail of Dead owe their sound. Very shortly after that, I started to smoke pot. The two things are completely unrelated except for the fact that this became my favorite album to listen to when high, and I listened to this album almost everyday for more than a year. It seemed to embody everything I felt and looking back, it really seems to define that whole era for me. I remember listening to it and worrying what exactly I wanted to major in in college - which I imagined would shape the whole future of my life. I remember listening to this for perhaps the 79th time, while particularly baked, and outlining a review for this album in which I explained how it was a brilliantly subtle concept album with a story arc describing the ego of any and every teen in America (I won't get into it, but I still somewhat believe it), and wondering why it wasn't the most popular album in the country, and stating for sure that it would be remembered as ahead of it's time.
   
   "It Was There (That I Saw You)" couldn't be better for the first song. A quiet, simple guitar riff quickly joins the sound of a distant tv and what could only be described as space static. No sooner than the 15 second mark, the bass distinctively drops in half a beat before the loud, distorted, chiming punk chords and Conrad lets out one verse and a chorus about an old girlfriend ("but as time went on, I wondered what went wrong, I wondered what became....of you...") which segues into a great bridge/fuzzed out guitar jam that builds and builds until it bursts back into verse two with another bass dropout and even faster, louder, chimier (is that a word?) guitars and a climactic repeat of the chorus. This sets up the tone for the whole album, as most of the songs go by that same formula of Intro-verse-chorus-cool breakdown-verse-chorus-climax, some more intensely, others less so. I actually didn't like this song so much at first only because it's sung in what sounded to me like the whiny Good Charlotte pop-punk that was circulating at the time.
   
   "Another Morning Stoner" is, even on the first listen, immediate a standout. The two guitar intro, one playing a riff right up there with Cobain's best, the other adding cool atmospheric fills grabs your attention and leads in to melodic, buzzsaw guitars on the verse. I think it was the second single.
   
   "Baudelaire" has fast power chords and lyrics about the poet most famous for writing about boredom being the greatest sin. The fact that this is one of the most forgettable songs on the album is a compliment.
   
   "Homage" is exactly what it's name implies. It's an homage to post-punk screamo bands such as Fugazi and Minor Threat. It's very fast paced and great if you were ever a fan of post-punk. If not, you won't like it.
   
   "How Near How Far" is immediately another album highlight. The mellow, slowly crashing drums combining with a great echo-y guitar riff open the song then the pace is quickened for the verses, until it returns towards the end and builds while the refrain "how near, how far, how lost they are" is repeated about 15 times. This song is so amazing it will be playing in your head for a week after hearing it.
   
   "Heart in the Hand of the Matter" begins with the coolest opening lyrics since "I was born in a crossfire hurricane" from Jumping Jack Flash. You just have to respect any song that begins with "ride the apocalypse" and a continues on with"there's nothing that could be done/we've lost all control/I walk in the shadows of your tortured realm/and I'm so damned/I can't win/with my heart in my hands again." At first, this song didn't really grab me. But, after actually listening to the lyrics I really came to think this is easily up there with the best songs on the album. "Heart in the Hand" leads perfectly into "Monsoon," which must be the most epic song of ToD's career so far. The great lyrics continue with such gems as "roll of thunder like a voice that commands/raindrops fall like the blood from your hands/pray to a God but I doubt that he's listening/this world's a gutter that he likes to piss in/millions of people quietly sleep/dreaming of deserts as the puddles run deep." Musically, "Monsoon" wears it's Sonic Youth influence right out on it's sleeve. James Reece even sounds like Lee Renaldo here.
   
   "Days of Being Wild" blasts off right out of the gate. It's the loudest, fastest, and as far as I'm concerned, best song on all of `Source Tags'. The lyrics about "all night amphetamines" being "alive in jail/alive and well" fit perfectly being shouted over the hammering drums and guitars that sound like their trying to impersonate the sound of metal being viciously torn apart. The song climax's with a chorus being desperately shouted with the poem "Graffiti Deposition" read over it, ending in the line "a middle finger to the institution" and it all just works so surprisingly well.
   
   "Relative Ways" was the first single, which of course means in this case that it's the most straightforward rock song here. Again awards for cool lyrics must go out for "our electric guitar hangs to our knees/got a couple of verses I can barely breathe/it's alright it's ok/it's coming together in relative ways" as well as the repeated lines "it's ok/I'm a saint/I forgave your mistakes".
   
   "After the Laughter" is a instrumental interlude that continues the riffs from "Relative Ways" but quietly and on piano. It's a perfect comedown and a perfect lead-in to "Source Tags & Code" which is one of those perfect album closers where the guitars and lyrics just seem to put you into that totally warm, happy, nostalgic mood without fail every time you listen to it. There's nothing more to be said about this song, you can't not like it. Stick around after the song is over because after a few seconds you hear a very unlikely beautiful violin concerto which is the album's true coda.
   
   Now I'm 21. Finally, I've answered all those questions I used to ask myself while stoned and blasting this in headphones. With the last grains of teenager-dom finally washed away, I still find myself coming back to this CD quite often. So, I'm starting to think that my very first impressions of `Source Tags' were totally right. This isn't just some teen angst [...] you listen to when you're young, then forget. This album is truly one of the greats, one that will be up there with those few albums that have seemed to define entire sections of your life. Albums that when played, have the power to transport you back to all the good times, all the bad times, and at the same time be an excellent album musically and lyrically. `Madonna' before this laid the groundwork, "the St. Elena's Tomb" EP hold's more of the same type of sound found here, before `World's Apart' blew ToD's possibilities wide open with a blend of different song styles. But none of those albums can touch the landmark greatness of `Source Tags & Codes."

5 comments about Under the Bushes Under the Stars.

1. While I am a big fan of GBV's whole catalogue, including all of front-man Bob Pollard's solo and other side projects, THIS is the album that epitomizes Guided by Voices. It was post the severely lo-fi (but awesome) recordings of Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes, yet before their voyage into the hi-fi, Ocasek-produced, Do the Collapse. Under the Bushes has those full-powered rockers such as Man Called Aerodynamics and Your Name is Wild and such beautiful and haunting songs like Acorns and Orioles and Bright Papered Werewolves. This is one of those albums that has enough to hit you right away, and just enough more that will creep up on you after a few listens. Do yourself a favor and buy this album.



2. Much hype surrounding the release of UTBUTS when it came out in the mid-90's. But I have to say it's overrated. Most of the songs won't last long. Of course, there are still some great songs on here but the change to a recording studio has also meant a decline in material, though they fortunately picked that up on later albums



3. how do you follow up the twin lo-fi greatness of bee thousand and alien lanes? you don't. to his credit, robert pollard knew this. this is the record that comfortably straddles the band's basement past and its slick future. the resulting effort is stellar. gone is the laser-like focus of the aforementioned jewels, replaced by a dark universe where there is no joy and fear seems to be the only common thread. this is the domain of the cut-out witch. her spell is cast largely on this entire songscape. the entire record revolves around that one brilliant song. and she CAN change your life.



4. Considering how much music I've listened to and reviewed by these guys, it's surprising to recognize how little I know about them. Although I've listened to (the equivalent of) perhaps a dozen albums worth of music, I still cannot say I understand Guided By Voices, and I like that. They are a band that keeps me guessing, that forces me to listen with my wits as much as my ears, and I like that, too. With lyrics that are as opaque as a kaleidoscope, there just isn't much that is tangible enough to provide a foothold.
   The most obvious trait of GBV is their tendency to take a song just past the point of creativity, and then record it, unadorned. For music fans who listen creatively, this is great fun, because it forces the listener to hear the song from an angle that is obliquely opposed to most pop music. It isn't ear candy, and without the production values that are now considered `normal' or essential for the pop marketplace, we either hear the song through the gauze of `low-fi' or we ignore it entirely. I hate to admit this, but the average Joe on the street likes his music to be provided for him; let radio rotate a few prefabricated variations on familiar themes, and Joe Public is fine with it. He would hate Guided By Voices, and the reasons are simple. The primary reason is that this band avoids the polish and sheen of production values the way that cats avoid swimming pools. I might not know much about the band themselves, but their work methods seem to be fairly obvious. After a song is written, the recording commences soon afterward. Once the song is set down, it is left in that state as if it were preserved in aspic. It's a strange methodology because it relies on the infinite possibilities of initial creation, but forces the process to end at that point.
   On Under the Bushes Under the Stars, Guided By Voices allow themselves a bit more leeway with production (just a bit), and the album benefits greatly from it. After all, why can't production (or post-production, for that matter) be used as a creative tool? The five tracks that kick off the album make this point abundantly clear, with an attention to detail that is nowhere near anal, but at least shows some consideration for the intelligent songs they decorate. "Rhine Jive Click", "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" and "The Official Ironman Rally Song" sound exactly like Guided By Voices, but they also sound good enough for commercial airplay. One song, "Don't Stop Now" is a re-recording of an earlier song, and true to what I had said earlier, its arrangement remains absolutely true to the low-fi version it updates, except with a production that suits it better and makes it more appealing. These guys still might not get airplay, but after this album, I can no longer say that it is simply because the band chooses it to be that way. Who knows? If radio stations started playing "Lord of Overstock", maybe Joe Public would hum along. A Tom Ryan



5. "Under the Bushes Under the Stars" is probably not the place for a new Guided by Voices fan to get started, but in my opinion, it's their best album.
   
   Most of the songs on "Under the Bushes" take a few listens to unfold. The whole album has a languid, melancholy feel, in contrast to the hyperactive hookiness of "Bee Thousand" and "Alien Lanes." The sound is dominated by dark, murky guitars-- almost a throwback to "Vampire on Titus," but with cleaner production. There are a few brighter tracks clustered toward the end ("Underwater Explosions" indeed), but nothing here is as sunny and instantly accessible as, say, "Echoes Myron."
   
   Over time, though, that works to the album's advantage. It demands and rewards repeated listening, individual songs gradually breaking out of the murk and lodging themselves addictively in your brain. It's also ingeniously sequenced and paced, alternating small groups of darker songs and more upbeat tracks. The cryptic, cacophonous "Man Called Aerodynamics" distinguishes itself as one of GBV's greatest album openers, and the next couple of tracks keep the momentum going strong. "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" employs the classic Pollard trick of building from solo guitar and vocals to a startling full-band climax in barely over two minutes. The next few tracks chime and chug along in a low-key, gloomy vein, until "Your Name is Wild" and "Ghosts of a Different Dream" raise the tempo and infuse a welcome jolt of energy. The haunting, acoustic "Acorns & Orioles" brings things down again for a few more tracks, until the aforementioned "Underwater Explosions" and Tobin Sprout's "Atom Eyes" finally provide a glimpse of sunlight.
   
   Those songs set the stage for the breathtakingly gorgeous "Don't Stop Now," for my money the best song Robert Pollard has ever written. Who else could wring such beauty and pathos from a song about a rooster named Big Daddy? "Don't Stop Now" may be a tough act to follow but "Office of Hearts" is up to the task, closing the album on a dissonant, slightly unsettling note.
   
   But wait, this is a Guided by Voices album, which means we have six more tracks that happened to be lying around and got tacked on the end. These extra songs may not exactly fit into the vibe established by the album proper, but they're worthy additions, "Big Boring Wedding" and the exuberant "Drag Days" standing out in particular.
   
   "Under the Bushes Under the Stars" encompasses all sides of GBV, from solo fragments like "Bright Paper Werewolves" to intricate rockers like "Cut-Out Witch" to weird experiments like "Take to the Sky" to loud chug-fests like "Lord of Overstock," but wraps it all in a coherent and compelling package. Robert Pollard's lyrics throughout the album are some of the most cryptic and intriguing in his entire catalog. "Under the Bushes" is decidedly darker in tone than most Guided by Voices albums, and it may take a few listens to grow on you, but if you let it sink in you'll find GBV's richest and most rewarding album.

5 comments about Pacer.

1. This 1995 release by Kim Deal was a gem to discover. Breeders fans will appreciate the musical history imbued within its facets, as it foreshadows things to come. Simply put, it is well worth the money if you are into the Breeders on any level, at a minimum just to experience Tipp City, Full on Idle and Empty Glasses.



2. I'm not a Pixies fan; Pod and Title TK didn't float my boat. Last Splash is one of my favorite albums ever. I considered trying out Pacer with low expectations due to the poor ratings I've seen on different sites. I was pleasantly surprised and love it just as much as Last Splash. It's laid-back with an ah-shucks bashful grin and grinning boisterousness. I can't believe I enjoy this album so much when many seem to be saying the album's no big deal. It just makes the album more special to me.



3. Kudos to Ms. Deal. I don't thinks she's ever complimented her abilities as well as this. It's a classic.



4. Pacer has on it the very best work of her career. "Breaking the Split Screen Barrier" is sheer perfection, even if you can't make out the lyrics. "Dedicated" could very well be one of the greatest songs of all time. Innocent, melancholic, with that ingenious chord progession.
   
   "She's a girl" is equally as brilliant, Kim Deal kickin ass.
   "Bragging Party" is womby and hypnotic, although indistinguishable lyrics make it hard to sing along.
   
   Personally, I don't care much for side one. "Pacer" and "Tipp City" are great retro songs, capitalizing on Kim's sound, but I've always felt "I am Decided" and "Mom's Drunk" just don't quite capture it. "Full on idle", however captures a very atmospheric, darker country edge of reality, prozac nation kind of vibe.
   
   It's a good record, overall.
   Kim saves the best for last.



5. Before the Breeders reunited in 2002, the rock group had splintered into three other groups. One of those side groups was the Amps, headed by Kim Deal. Though the Amps produced only one album, "Pacer" is a low-fi, subtle creature that takes a while to really show its complexity.
   
   It's raw garage... pop. Not quite rock, but deep indiepop, with bits of rock and punk mixed in. It was recorded in a minimalist style, with sunny pop suddenly seguing into the rockin' "Tipp City," where the tempo and sound are upped in a big way. Deal lets rip vocally here, and the music does too.
   
   Other songs sound rough around the edges, but not quite enough to be alienating -- the heavy, thick "Mom's Drunk," the dynamic rock of "Breaking the Split Screen Barrier," and the stripped-down excellence of "Empty Glasses," where the instruments come out into the front.
   
   Compared to the Breeders, there's a feeling of harmony in "Pacer" -- since it was done quickly and with great energy, there's no underlying rivalries or conflicts here. It's just a good band, making good music. And after you've listened to it a few times, it becomes clear that it's also wildly underappreciated.
   
   The musical style does take a little getting used to, just because it will not sound familiar. It's so stripped-down, so lo-fi that it sounds totally unlike your average rock band. But it has a refreshing honesty and lack of pretension, and complex melodies come out if you listen hard enough. Luis Lerma and Jim MacPherson mold their bass and drums into the rock-hard, minimalist basis of each song.
   
   Kim Deal sounded like she was having a good time in "Pacer," whether shouting with ecstacy, yelling, or drunkenly inquiring where the waittress is. Her spiky vocals can be cute or rough, depending on the song, and she brings a sense of vitality to "Pacer." No drowsy monotones here -- Deal wears her limbic system on her sleeve.
   
   The Amps were only a one-shot band, which is saddening, because the promise that brims from the energetic "Pacer" could have lasted a lot longer.

5 comments about Make Up the Breakdown.

1. Surprised with how this young Canadian indie rock band's full length debut still sounds. After revisiting Franz Ferdiand's debut and feeling the emptiness much more pronounced, I had feared the worse with HHH. They follow some of the same basic tenets those retro dance indie acts cropping up at the time did, but beneath the hipster sheen, youthful spunk, and a voice cynics could simply dismiss as stupid, this essentially pop-rock album for teens incorporates much more subtle melodic progression then most who ever flirted with MTV in the past decade. Unsure if their later material is worth any investment, but this one is.



2. Everybody is a critic the thing is its all about your tastes and willingness to leave room for slight change. Im a huge XTC fan so this band is the perfect complement to all my XTC albums. It's a huge compliment to be compared to XTC by the way. Hot Hot Heat are perfect post punk...



3. I became obsesed with hot hot heat after the debut of Elevator. I couldn't believe that this band could become anymore upbeat. That is untill I listened to this album. It is simply the kind of cd that you want to listen to very LOUD while jumping around because otherwise there would be too much energy trapped inside of you. Well I guess you could jog to it too or something if you are more practical, but anyways this is a GREAT ALBUM especially if your a indie rock fan.



4. This is party music with a 80's new-wave vibe. Every song is a hit and it's so catchy that some of the songs will stay in your head long after hearing them. Get it!



5. When you first hear them your like "what was that?" 10 great songs to dance to, even "In cairo" the slow ballad of which he is not sure of. The whole album is full of yelping and screaming, well not much screaming more melodic. Catchy, but fast some might say to fast as one learns in the first single "bandages". having many rhymes and truths about life that come out subtlely (not sure if it is spelled right) "Make up the breakdown" is Dance, sing, catchy, truthful, and awesome!

5 comments about The Dirt of Luck.

1. Another Helium masterpiece. There are a few songs that also appear on the Superball import, but still a solid album in its own right.



2. Saw these guys on the 2nd stage at Lollapalooza in 1995. I was taking a break from watching the hip-hop bands they had thrown into the mix, and was mesmerized by these guys. It's pretty rare I see a band live that I've never heard of -- to hear that band and be blown away, I couldn't believe it. I bought the CD immediately, and didn't stop playing it for 2 years.

   It has great lyrics, great music, great mood, great atmosphere, and just rocks. Mary Timony has such a unique sound, I still think mesmerizing is the best word for it.




3. Not to sound flippant or anything--I absolutely adore this record; it's one of my all-time faves. It also has eliminated the need, at least for me, to own several alt-rock classics--"Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine (who's austere, celestial guitar haze is evoked expertly on " Baby's Going Underground" and "Silver Angel") "Slanted and Enchanted" by Pavement (the dolorous, understated twang n' hiss of "Honeycomb" , a track which also niftily does away with the need for Mazzy Star) and "Dirty" by Sonic Youth ("Pat's Trick" and "Medusa" are effortlessly dead-cool--a perfect blend of distaff snarl and urban grit offhandedly intoned from behind Velvets fly shades). Lots of young bands wear thier influences proudly, especially on debuts, but Helium distill thiers in such a way that they end up with something fresh and thrilling. "The Dirt of Luck" is the sound of one young woman (Mary Timony-- the medieval indie-grrl of my dreams) getting together with a couple of friends, plugging in the distortion pedal, and deciding to rule the world--so long as they get done in time to hit the thrift stores before the wannabe-hipsters raid all the courderoy from the factory-seconds rack.



4. I love early Helium and this CD as far as I am concerned is the best. My favorite track is "medusa" which exemplifies riot grrl rock. The lyrics hit heard and Mary Timony's trademark gravely voice is splendid. Buy this C.D. if you love riot grrl music, want to get into good riot grrl music, or if you've never heard Mary Timony before.



5. This CD by a relatively little-known band, is truly amazing. People who listen to this CD love it, even if they dislike in general this kind of music. I am personally not at all a fan of alternative/rock etc. music but this is the best alternative CD of the 90s that I have heard, and one of my all-time favorite CDs.

   Too bad it looks like Helium is not making any more music. Their last CD, "Magic City" is OK too, but it lacks the magic of "the dirt of luck".

   I have heard them once live in Middle East. They were too noisy, not as good as the CD.

5 comments about High Time.

1. If you're a newcomer, and trying to find out about the MC5 album to buy first, let me start off by strongly recommending their first album, "Kick Out the Jams", to you. That live album is the best thing they ever recorded, and you will discover what all the fuss is about.
   If you're an MC5 fan already, and looking to get more of that good stuff that got you hooked in the first place, there's plenty of it here. I like this last album much more than "Back in the USA" and think it was a huge step forward for them. Alas, that step came just before the storm of drug habits, arrests, prison terms, dwindling audiences and the band's ultimate dissolution.
   
   Even at the end, they gave it their all. Not only does this album avoid the sonic flaws of "Back in the USA", it also contains the finest songwriting of their brief career. Guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith hit his stride, writing fully half of the album by himself, and all of them ("Sister Anne", "Baby Won't Ya", "Over and Over" and "Skunk") are bona-fide MC5 classics. The rest of the band is in fine form, too, adeptly using dynamics, diverse instrumentation, and clear instrumental separation to make this their best realized album by far.
   
   Still, it's not perfect. "Poison" is a true clunker and easily the weakest song on the album. There's also the issue of the songs' run times: six of the album's eight songs run over five minutes each and many feature staggering starts and stops. This gives the album an unfocused feel and creates an impression that they didn't have any more songs to put onto the album. The first track, "Sister Anne", perfectly exemplifies this: after 4-1/2 minutes' worth of focused, stomping rock song, it inexplicably veers into a 3 minute long coda that takes away the song's momentum and ultimately dissolves into a miasma of amateurish, out-of-tune horns, leaving you with a 7-1/2 minute anthem that stopped inspiring well before it actually stopped.
   Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan who loves the band and loves these songs, but I can't help thinking that a few well-timed edits and fade outs would have tightened up the material considerably, allowed more room for more songs and made this a much more accessible album. This is where the lack of a quality producer hurt them terribly-a good producer would have tried to tighten up these songs a bit to make them more listener-friendly.
   
   All told, this is my second-favorite MC5 album. The first is obviously "Kick Out the Jams," but this album holds its own admirably well despite being completely different. Hearing this album makes me wish they had been able to stay together. It would have been fascinating to see where they would have gone if given the chance.



2. today's indie freaks will listen to this record and hear "sister anne" and recognize it as an MC5 staple formula: hard, you can dance to it. you'll hear "Skunk" and wonder how many of the 90s and "hard" bands there are today that heard that song b/c it sounds exactly like the kinds of soulless crap that Nickelback and Staind throw out yearly, but you'll listen to it hear and it's got a point, it's majestic. and then you'll hear Franz Ferdinand, and Brian Flowers formulas and realize just how full of garbage the Killers are when they claim to be the first. nope, it was the legendary MC5. Once you swallow this, move on to the bootlegged live set on Thunder Express. High Times indeed, this is the kind of record that will get you pumping in the good way



3. This is a great album, one of the greatest straight ahead rock albums I've ever heard, and yet it's sad too, because it was the last album by the MC5, and it's their best one. The MC5 had been through a lot, starting off with John Sinclair and being part of the "revolutionary" movements of the 1960's. Despite this, their first album, Kick Out the Jams, is all rock and roll. By the time they hit this album, they were on their own. One last shot, as it were, and they knocked it out of the park. This is not only their greatest rock album, but it's also the most musically adventurous album the MC5 ever made. There are only 8 songs, but they are all extended ones. The opener, Sister Anne, is arguably the best song on the album. It's a great rock song, and it has a great guitar solo in the middle like an extended jam. Then it breaks into an equally long harmonica solo, which is fabulous. Then the song ends with a horn section! But yet, it all works. The next song, Gonna Get Ya, has a really tight twin guitar solo in the middle of it. The band really gelled on this album. It's a shame it hardly sold during its initial release, but it has amazing energy that still sends people today. Many of the MC5 are no longer with us (Fred "Sonic" Smith and Rob Tyner), but their music lives on. There are also great liner notes that are just as good as the album itself. I'll end this review with a quote from Rob Tyner...."think of a world where art is the only motivation".



4. Forget everything you've been reading about the Stooges's seminal punk efforts & be serious...Get this cd,give it a listen with a a good stereo equipment .The result is one of the best records ever made,the band being at last perfectly engineered (thank you,Mr Haslam).The Five had almost everything:exceptional musicians,the best singer this side of Roger Daltrey(what he does on "over and over"is incredible),a collective songwriting genius,not to mention they sounded like a panzer division on any stage...
   The reason why they didn't make it still remains a mystery today ,but this record is something like the Himalaya of Rock & Roll,few did better than the Five indeed!



5. The 5's last album (if you disregard the plethora of latter-day compilations and concert recordings), High Time leaves you wishing the band had stayed together instead of going out in a blaze of vinyl glory. This is a remarkable album by a remarkable band. What's even more remarkable is that "Over and Over" alone, is worth the price of the album; this is surely one of rock's masterpieces (and an all-but-forgotten one), a battle cry for a generation, in the vein of The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again. Yeah, it's that good.