My wife is preggers with twin girls and has a stomach that looks like a cartoon. I've thrown my back out moving crap into our new home in the Marina, aka Perv Central, aka "Pretty Town." I am not happy at work and am doing everything I can to change my situation. And, of course, Brian Sabean has done everything in his power to piss me off as the worst steward of cash and my Giants. And I apologize. I haven't posted in ages. No doubt there has been a deep void in your life.
Ok, now that we've gotten my problems and the shortcomings of the world out of the way, let's get right to it. My first grab was Please To Meet Me by the Mats. Memories of this album as a youth was that it was their "sellout album." The Mats had ditched boozy, doomed Bob Stinson, signed to a major label and the production had gotten really 80s clean. I can distinctly remember listening to PTMM while backpacking in Europe during the summer of '87 after graduating from hs. The Mats' direction was a very hot topic. I mean other than which 17 yo topless French chick had the hottest cans. All of this seems absurd now.
I mean any 17 yo cans are great, right?
But more to the point, Please To Me Meet is a really good rock 'n roll album. Perhaps more than any other Mats release, you can hear Westerberg's love of the Faces and his crazy guitar talent, with Bob out of the picture. And rather than going soft or corporate, the Mats are trying to move forward. You can't play "Gary's Got a Boner" forever, right?
And the lyrics are pretty amusing. This is a a band that has silly hot chops, as well as being lippy. "Ash tray floors, dirty clothes and filthy jokes" indeed. I know some balked at the horns on this record, but they are nazis. Just listen to the sax melt into "Nightclub Jitters" not long after the guitars roar on "IOU.". That weird feeling is the recognition that this band is killing it at the top of their game, rather than losing it or going soft.
So maybe it's the Fin Du Monde talking, but I say this record's the shit. Talk to you tomorrow. Feels good to be back. Go team USA.
Your Friend,
The Tuna
2 comments:
my son has pneumonia, I skipped dinner again and there is a stack of papers Dubai high mocking my weekend. Stop your whining.
I love this record. This is the one I generally reach for whenever I play these guys. Top notch top notch. How about a Fresca?
Go buy We Never Learn. Really. It's just what you need. I listened to Elastica, Faster Pussycat and Dub Narcotic System last night while I watched Timmy before melting into the couch. I don't understand anything anymore either. Where's the fucking wisdom?
It just arrived in the mail. I cant wait to read this. All of my favorite bands seem to be in here. And this era was spot on the era I identify with the most. Man, I hope you're right and I like this.
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