11. Dexter Romweber Duo- Is that You in the Blue?- that Dex is still kicking is cause for rejoicing, and even if this record can't be counted among his best, it's a comfort to know he's still out there, ready to transport the weary with one more aching ballad.
10. Missing Monuments- Painted White- King Louie is another nearly sunken American treasure, and if he wants to dive for pop gems, I'm listening.
9. GG King- Esoteric Lore- just enough weirdness here to help it transcend the genre tag, that being SoCal skate punk of the 80s, a sound that hasn't aged all that well but that conjures enough memories to bleed a little nostalgia into the listen.
8. Case Studies- The World is Just a Shape to Fill the Night- I don't know what happened to The Duchess and the Duke, but this gentleman keeps the folk flag flying with more yearning weepers sure to help the lonely keep the rope at bay.
7. Psandwich- Northren Psych- it's Ron House, for crying out loud, and he's rocking and screaming that he's stoned to death. So maybe it doesn't quite reach TJSA heights, but that voice plus guitars = a rasberry to the little things getting ya down.
6. Jack Oblivian- Rat City- this man just keeps delivering- a model of consistency as he drives through the vast array of styles he owns. "Girl on the Beach" should have been the summer hit that brought rock back to the radio.
5. OBN IIIs- The One and Only- 100% p-rock stomper with enough variety to keep things interesting but not so much that your feet stop moving.
4. Royal Headache- S/T- Aggressively hooky Oz pop that just keeps getting better as the melodies lodge indelibly in that place where emotional memory fires up the dopamine and pleasure ain't just a dive bar outside Vegas.
4. Royal Headache- S/T- Aggressively hooky Oz pop that just keeps getting better as the melodies lodge indelibly in that place where emotional memory fires up the dopamine and pleasure ain't just a dive bar outside Vegas.
3. Total Control- Henge Beat- sometimes stylistic diversity means lack of vision, and sometimes you get the feeling the band is determined to do justice to its full range of influences. These guys might have made a love letter to Wire, Gary Numan and Joy Division, but they've woven their heroes' ideas into a thing entirely their own.
2. Crooked Fingers- Breaks in the Armor- this guy delivers more emotional weight in his voice than a middle-aged burnout can sometimes bear. More scaled back than recent albums, but all he needs are those melodies and that voice, and you've got yourself weepy gold.
1. Apache Dropout- S/T- what an original and entertaining record this is- wacky and hallucinatory and anthemic and you can call it a bonafide aural miracle. Folks will be digging this for years to come.
2 comments:
Can I ask why no mention of The Black Lips? I thought Arabia Mountain was pretty damn good.
I loved Apache Dropout, but it was bc they sounded like Pavement and VU. Not sure I'd say they were incredibly original. But no matter. Their album is tops.
Hey something really bad happened to me today. The toilet at work over flowed on me at like 6:30 AM. It was awful, but it made me think of OBN III. "If the Shit Fits Wear It!"
Pavement? Get off the 90s pipe, son. That Black Lips record was OK, but I suppose they're just off my radar. I'll give it another listen.
And how does the toilet overflow ON you? Were you lying on the floor, begging for mercy from last night's spirits? Purty funny line, though- wear that shit, Tuna- wear it!
Post a Comment