The Airing of Grievances - Titus Andronicus

The Airing of Grievances
Titus Andronicus
XL Recordings  XL LP 397
2008

I heard this band on KXLU a few times but wasn't interested in them until I saw them open for Okkervil River at the Wiltern.  Their performance was tremendously exciting and energetic so I decided to check out one of their albums.  This was their debut album originally released on an indie label in 2008 before being reissued by XL in 2009.  The band gives the album a theatrical structure in the lyric sheet organizing the songs into two parts plus a prologue and an epilogue.  The lyrics are overtly autobiographical, drawn from lead singer Patrick Stickles' experiences as a youth and in college.  The prologue consists of "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ" which like all the songs on the record was written by Stickles.  It starts slow and distant, practically inaudible at normal volume, then it kicks into a fast tempo section with an Irish music flavor reminiscent of the Pogues.  The song attacks the world with extraordinary vitriol apparently inspired by Stickles' unhappiness attending college in the titular town.  At the conclusion of the song there is a reading from Shakespeare's play "Titus Andronicus."  It comes from the end of the play where the villain Aaron expresses his lack of remorse for his evil deeds and his regret that he didn't do more of them.  Part I begins with "My Time Outside the Womb" which describes Stickles birth and childhood in New Jersey.  The song is a rocker that mixes power pop with old fashioned rock and roll.  The gloomy "Joset of Nazareth's Blues" takes a poke at religion and outlines Stickles grim view of life.  Musically the song sounds like a crazed street musician covering Bruce Springsteen.  "Arms Against Atrophy" recounts a high school band trip to San Francisco where Stickles broke his arm as well as a dream in which his mother attempted to kill him with nail clippers.  It is a punky rocker with a throat-shredding vocal from Stickles.  "Upon Viewing Bruegel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'" has no obvious connection to that painting but instead features more of Stickles nihilistic philosophizing.  It is raucous power pop with punk attitude.  That concludes side one and part I.  Part II begins with "Titus Andronicus" in which Stickles describes the misery of being in an indie rock band.  The song ends with Stickles howling "your life is over" repeatedly.  It is a thunderous song with a lot of drive.  The band generates an impressive wall of sound.  The misery continues in "No Future Part I" in which he describes himself as "dying slowly from Patrick Stickles disease."  The song expresses a desire to runaway from unhappiness as well as thoughts of suicide.  The song starts slow, almost dirge-like which serves its depressing message well.  Beginning with the instrumental break it becomes noisier without increasing the pace too much, this part reminds me of Neil Young and Crazy Horse.  "No Future Part II: The Day After No Future" is a song about the apocalypse.  Unlike "Part I" it rocks out fiercely and just as loudly with lots of guitar noise becoming shoegaze-like at the end.  There is a reading at the conclusion of the song from the end of Albert Camus' novel "The Stranger."  It includes the famous line about Meursault laying his heart open "to the benign indifference of the universe."  The epilogue features the song "Albert Camus" which is not about the author but rather describes adolescent stupidity and misbehavior in a small New Jersey town.  The indifference and the apathy the people in the song feel towards life is presumably intended to be compared to the existential perspective expressed in Camus' work.  The song is another frenetic assault on the eardrums with a shoegazy finish.  This is one of the darkest pop records that I've ever heard.  At times it seems more like a suicide note than art.  I was an alienated adolescent and I haven't forgotten what it was like, but this is so extreme I have trouble relating to it at times.  Also I find such a steady stream of negative feelings wearying to listen to, there is no humor or expression of warmth to offer any respite.  The album is aptly titled, I don't think I've ever heard such a prodigious venting of spleen.  The record's saving grace is the music which is wonderfully dynamic and passionate.  It combines the raw energy of punk rock with the song craft of power pop and shoegaze with thrilling results.  Also Stickles is a very expressive singer which makes his ceaseless whining a lot more palatable.  Recommended to Nirvana fans who think Kurt Cobain was too cheerful.

Le Pop: Les Filles - Various Artists

Le Pop: Les Filles
Various Artists
Le Pop Musik  LPM 20-1
2008

I am a big fan of French pop in the 1960s and early 1970s but I haven't kept up with their music scene since then.  What I've seen in French films and the occasional TV show (my wife used to subscribe to a French cable channel) did not make me think I was missing much.  However when I stumbled across a bargain-priced copy of this album, I picked it up to see what was going on over there.  It is part of a series of albums issued by a German record company that survey contemporary French music.  This one offers a generous sampling of 16 tracks focusing on female singers.  I'd only heard of two of them prior to buying this album - Coralie Clément who I know as an actress and Mélanie Pain who I know from the group Nouvelle Vague which I am a fan of.  My favorite track is Poney Express' "Paris de Loin" which is pure indie rock driven by a great bass riff.  It has a lot of pop appeal and it gets me bopping.  The group is a duo featuring Ana Berthe on vocals and Robin Feix on bass.  My other favorite song is Fredda's "Barry White" which features a slinky vocal over a hypnotic melody as she recalls her youth dancing in discos in Marseille.  I also really like Barbara Carlotti's "Mademoiselle Opossum" which benefits from a propulsive rhythm track and some sensuous horn work that supports her alluring vocal.  Coralie Clément sweetly croons "So Long Babylone" over a chunky rhythm track and a charming ukelele riff.  The song was written and produced by her brother, Benjamin Biolay.  Mélanie Pain's "Celles de Mes 20 Ans" sounds nothing like her work with Nouvelle Vague.  It is poppy folk-rock that her breathy vocal invests with feeling.  "Je Ne Te Quitterais Jamais" by a duo called Doris Park is a lovely, atmospheric song delicately sung in French and English by the group's lead singer, Maria Törnqvist who is Swedish.  "Cupide et Stupide" by Austine is charming twee indie pop with a jaunty melody that makes me happy as I listen to it.  The liner notes compare the song to Belle and Sebastian, but I think Camera Obscura is a more accurate comparison.  "Les Hasrads" by C++ is perhaps the most interesting track on the record being a swinging smorgasbord of 60s pop and synth pop driven by surf guitar and proggy mellotron over which Charlotte Gérand coolly sings.  Several tracks sound like traditional French pop most notably Loane's waltz-like "Petit Bonheur," Maud Lübeck's low-key "Le Parapluie,"  Marianne Feder's jazzy "Toi Mon Indien" and best of all Marianne Dissard's "Les Draps Sourds" which mixes Chanson with Western Swing, it sounds like Edith Piaf performing with Bob Wills.  She seems to be singing about an orgy, I wish my French was better, ha-ha.  There are a few duds on the album.  Constance Amiot's "Clash Dans le Tempo" is mild-mannered French hip-hop that bores me.  Julie B. Bonnie's "Bonjour Monsieur" is a collaboration with Kid Loco.  It has a strong beat but I find it monotonous.  Françoiz Breut has a beautiful voice but her New Age-ish "2013" is tedious to me.  If you really want to hear what she is capable of, check out her great 2001 song "Si Tu Disais."   According to the liner notes, Jeanne Cherhal's "Si Tu Reviens J'Annule Tout" is "scandalous" because it is based on a message that Nicholas Sarkozy sent to his ex-wife prior to marrying Carla Bruni.  Maybe you have to be French to find that shocking, I just hear a dull ballad.  Aside from Poney Express' track there is nothing on here that knocks my socks off, but I like just about every song although not enough to run out and buy a bunch of French records.  It rarely rocks, but it rolls pretty well and has a nice mellow vibe to it.  Recommended to Francophiles who dig Isobel Campbell and El Perro del Mar.

The Cost of Living - Jason Webley

The Cost of Living
Jason Webley
11 Records
2008

Jason Webley was just a name to me until I saw him open for Amanda Palmer at her Halloween show at the El Rey last year.  He put on an amazing show that had the crowd doing odd things with carrots and spinning around like little children, well you had to be there, it was a lot better than it sounds.  I was knocked out by his showmanship and charisma.  Afterwards I realized that I was not sure whether his music was all that good or if it had just been theatrics that had impressed me.  Listening to this record, I know that the music was indeed good.   My favorite songs are the three up-tempo numbers with a prominent gypsy flavor.  "Ways to Love" alternates between a rollicking tune and a slow section with a gorgeous string riff that sticks with me long after I'm done listening to the album.  Webley and his violinist, L. Alex Guy, have a real knack for coming up with impressive string motifs that enrich the songs.  The song describes a rough but effective upbringing.  "Little Sister" gets me bopping although it is one of the darkest songs on the album with its theme of incest and destruction.  It makes me think of Amanda Palmer, particularly since it has a bit of a cabaret feel to it.  It is based on a musical theme by the Czech singer/accordionist Jana Vebrova.  "There's Not A Step We Can Take That Does Not Bring Us Closer" uses a fast/slow dynamic featuring the hardest riff on the album alternating with the string/horn section delivering sumptuous, majestic musical passages.  Webley shouts out lusty and passionate lyrics like a sergeant delivering orders.  This song was the highlight of his show for me.  The other songs on the album embrace a wide variety of styles.  "Still" opens the album.  Like several of Webley's songs, it starts slow and builds in strength as Webley adds instruments and sings more forcefully.  It  has some of the best lyrics on the album as he describes a romance where the flame has gone out.  "They Just Want" reminds me of latter day Leonard Cohen with its moody music and darkly romantic lyrics.  There is more evocative string work on this song.  "Clear" sounds more like early Cohen with its driving, relentless acoustic guitar riff and its poetic lyrics depicting a disintegrating relationship.  "Raise Them Higher" calls to mind Gordon Lightfoot particularly in the resonant timber of Webley's voice and the catchy chorus.  This song offers another memorable string riff.   "Meet Your Bride" finds Webley delivering the lyrics in a gravelly drawl that makes me think of Bob Dylan's recent work.  Webley sings about having extremely ambivalent feelings about one's wife and the song builds in intensity until he is howling the words like Tom Waits.  "Almost Time To Go" and "Disappear" are quiet ballads.  They are pretty songs with poetic lyrics of mild recrimination and regret.  I don't think Webley is quite a strong enough singer to really put them over.  He has a nice voice, but it is not all that expressive on slow songs, the songs seem a little empty.  He does better with "Back To You Again" where he pulls out his Gordon Lightfoot voice again to deliver a song about release and acceptance.  This is a very enjoyable album with intelligent lyrics, a theatrical atmosphere and some exotic Eastern European flavor.  If you are into colored vinyl, this is a really good one.  The vinyl is black infused with a bright orange design that resembles solar flares.  Very cool.  The whole album package is very attractive.  Recommended to fans of Gogol Bordello who wish that Eugene Hutz didn't have such a strong Ukrainian accent. 

Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie

Narrow Stairs
Death Cab For Cutie
Atlantic/Barsuk  BARK75
2008 

I saw Death Cab twice this summer on the “Codes and Keys” tour and I’d go see them again tomorrow if I could.  They really put on a great show.  I can’t believe how big they’ve become.  I’ve been a fan since their second album “We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes” but back in those days I didn't think that they’d ever be more than a cult band.  I never would have predicted that big-time commercial radio stations like KROQ would be playing their singles or that they’d be headlining large venues.  The first clue I was wrong was when Ben Gibbard had all that success with the Postal Service.  I thought that would be the end of Death Cab and that Gibbard would go solo.  I was wrong about that too.  Instead Death Cab became one of the biggest bands in alternative rock and kudos to them for achieving success without sacrificing their original sound or their integrity.  The band that made “Codes and Keys” is easily recognizable as the band that made “Something About Airplanes.”  I love all their albums but my favorite is “Narrow Stairs” although it is arguably their darkest record.  The album begins with “Bixby Canyon Bridge” which is a spectacular bridge on Highway 1 in Big Sur, California.  That stretch of road  is one of my favorite drives and if you ever find yourself out this way I highly recommend it (unless you get easily carsick.)  In the song Gibbard makes a pilgrimage to the spot unsuccessfully seeking inspiration from Jack Kerouac who lived there briefly and wrote about it in his novel “Big Sur.”  Gibbard mentions feeling confused and uneasy about the direction his life has taken but finds no answers in the creek at the bottom of the bridge.  The song starts like a slow, ethereal ballad but gradually builds in intensity and develops into a noisy rockfest, the Death Cab version of a rave-up.  Death Cab opened up their shows this summer with the mesmerizing “I Will Possess Your Heart.”  The song opens slowly with the drone of a synthesizer and a hypnotic bass riff.  After a few bars, other instruments kick in and a driving instrumental passage ensues lasting over four minutes before Gibbard takes the mike.  The song starts out sounding like a love song, but as it progresses the protagonist is revealed to be a creepy stalker.  I think it is one of the band’s strongest songs.  “No Sunlight” sounds poppy and upbeat until you listen to the words and hear the narrator losing his youthful idealism and being enveloped by darkness.  I find the contrast between the words and music very striking.  It segues directly into “Cath...” which is an amazing set of lyrics depicting a doomed wedding.  Gibbard’s description of the contrast between the image of the bride and the reality of her situation is devastating.  With the band pounding away in the background , this is one of the most powerful songs on the record.  “Talking Bird” is a slow ballad with the band droning away beneath lyrics  that use a caged bird as a metaphor for a relationship.  Side two opens with “You Can Do Better Than Me” which describes someone in an unsatisfying relationship who stays in the relationship because they could never find a better partner.  Again the band pairs a depressing set of lyrics against cheerful, even wistful sounding music.  Gibbard once wrote one of the most devastating put-downs of Los Angeles ever in “Why You’d Want To Live Here” (on “The Photo Album”) but when I first heard “Grapevine Fires” I realized that Gibbard had become a genuine Angelino.  His description of the wildfires that periodically plague Southern California features such vivid and evocative imagery that I can practically smell the smoke in the air when I listen to it.  It is set to a haunting and hypnotic melody that stays with me for days after I listen to this album.  It is one of the best songs on the album.  It is followed by “Your New Twin Sized Bed” which is another song that matches cheerful, upbeat music to depressing lyrics.  In this case the subject of the song has thrown out their queen sized mattress and replaced it with a twin mattress because they’ve given up on ever being in a relationship.  “Long Division” is the catchiest and poppiest song on the album so naturally it is paired with lyrics depicting the end of a relationship.  It uses mathematics for the symbolism of the one who gets dumped by their partner, being the remainder like in long division.  It is another terrific song, but oh so bleak, although it is like sunshine pop compared to “Pity and Fear.”  The song describes a one night stand and the alienation between people with very powerful imagery.  The song starts out sounding like an Indian raga with droning instruments and tabla-like percussion but soon escalates into a straight ahead rocker that becomes extremely loud and powerful before ending abruptly in the middle of a riff.  The cacophonous finish of “Pity and Fear” is followed by the quietest song on the album, “The Ice Is Getting Thinner.”  Gibbard chooses melting ice as his metaphor this time as he examines the deterioration of yet another relationship.  It is a gloomy, but beautiful song that ends this dark album on an appropriately melancholy note.  This is such an unhappy record with such a pessimistic view of human relationships that it is almost mind-boggling that Gibbard would end up getting married to a movie star little more than half a year after this album was released.  It would have seemed more likely that he would have withdrawn into a monastery instead.  Despite the depressing nature of the lyrics, this isn’t a difficult record to listen to.  The music is mostly engaging and accessible and the lyrics are expressed with clever metaphors and poetic language, it is not at all like some emo mope-fest.  I imagine if you were in a bad relationship or had recently suffered a broken heart, it might strike a little too close to home, but I know when I’m feeling down, I generally find comfort in a kindred spirit rather than some happy optimist type.  Recommended for Morrissey fans who wish he wasn't such a drama queen. 

Lost Wisdom - Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron & Fred Squire

Lost Wisdom
Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron & Fred Squire
P. W. Elverum & Sun Ltd.  ELV019
2008

This album comes packaged in the large double sided poster depicted above.  There is no cardboard record sleeve, just a paper sleeve for the record (which is pressed on clear vinyl) and a plastic album sleeve for the entire package.  I bought it from the Elverum website.  I could have saved the price of shipping by buying it from Phil Elverum himself when I saw Mount Eerie and Key Losers in concert a couple of months ago, but I foolishly didn't think to bring much money with me.  Elverum showed up at the merch table with a big crate full of vinyl from Mount Eerie and his previous band, the Microphones, but I spent my money on the Key Losers album instead, partly because Katy Davidson was throwing in her previous album as well but also because Davidson was open and friendly and Elverum was sitting at the merch table looking like a guy waiting to see the dentist.  Anyway it was a really impressive show.  As a performer Elverum is as taciturn as they come, but the music was so compelling and powerful that I didn't mind.  Elverum played what I think was a vibraphone as well as an enormous gong supported by Nicholas Krgovich on keyboards and a woman whose name I did not catch also playing keyboards.  The music was not rock nor was it folk, it was a mesmerizing, droning almost abstract sort of music that defies easy description.  It sounded quite different from the Microphones which is where I first encountered Elverum.  I liked the Microphones, but not so much that I noticed right away when Elverum abandoned that name and started using Mount Eerie for the name of his musical efforts.  This particular album sounds more like the Microphones than Elverum's current music.  It has mostly an ethereal folky sound.  Julie Doiron (formerly of the beloved indie band Eric's Trip) shares vocals with Elverum and Fred Squire plays guitar.  I don't have a problem with Elverum's voice, but I like Doiron's better and find her voice a lot warmer as well.  I was reminded of Elverum's collaborations with Khaela Maricich and Mirah back in the Microphones days.  Doiron brightens up the music considerably.  This is particularly noticeable on their duet "Lost Wisdom" which is my favorite song on the album.  It is a haunting and poetic song that reminds me of early Leonard Cohen and I find that the interplay between Elverum's low key vocal and Doiron's more emotional singing very alluring.  "Voice In Headphones" features Elverum singing the verses while Doiron sings the chorus with the chorus overlapping the verses in a contrapuntal arrangement.  It sounds gorgeous.  "You Swan, Go On" is an exquisite song of lost love and personal growth mostly sung by Elverum.  Doiron takes the lead on "Who?" which is about loss.  Side two opens with "Flaming Home" which is a bleak song depicting a deteriorating relationship sung beautifully as a duet.  "What?" echoes "Who?" in its structure but whereas the former song examines the emptiness left behind by lost love in a series of questions, this song asks a series of questions describing the sensory overload of one in love and dazzled by one's partner.  "If We Knew..." is sung by Doiron and features a series of epigrams about fear and uncertainty.  It is another one of my favorite songs on the record, I find the guitar playing on this track to among the loveliest on the album.  "With My Hands Out" displays Elverum's gift for writing enigmatic lyrics with striking imagery that create strong impressions in the listener.  "O My Heart" features some more memorable guitar work and a delicate duet vocal singing metaphorical lyrics that might be kind of corny in less sensitive hands, but instead it is one of the best songs on the record, very moving.  The album concludes gloomily with "Grave Robbers" which has dark lyrics and creepy imagery although the music is light and the vocal duet is as pretty as any on the record.  The music on this album has a consistent tone and mood, but it is not monotonous and I find it unfailingly engaging.  It is ideally suited for moments when you are feeling introspective and thoughtful, rainy afternoons or late at night sipping a glass of wine.  Elverum is an extremely intelligent songwriter and his music is challenging and adventurous, I've never heard a boring or lackluster piece of music from him.  Recommended for Nick Drake fans whose favorite album is "Pink Moon."

Who Killed Amanda Palmer - Amanda Palmer

Who Killed Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Roadrunner 834672

2008  

I currently have this album in three formats.  I initially bought the CD.  Then I found out there was a dvd of it and I bought that and finally I picked up the vinyl.  I think the ideal format of it is actually the dvd.  Amanda Palmer is such a compelling and charismatic performer that the rock video is the best vehicle for her music (aside from seeing her live.)  I was lukewarm about her previous group, the Dresden Dolls until I saw the video for "Coin Operated Boy" which made me an instant fan.  When I feel like hearing the Dolls I'm more likely to reach for one of their performance dvds than a CD.  Even without the visual element though, this is still a terrific record.  This was her debut record as a solo artist and it is consistent with the style and themes of her music with the Dresden Dolls, the big difference is the instrumentation which is a lot more elaborate with guitars, horns and strings adding color to the music.  The music is still driven by Palmer's piano, but it is more powerful than any of the Dolls' records.  Probably some of that can be credited to producer Ben Folds who knows something about making exciting music centered around a piano.  This is a dark record, the most upbeat and funny song, "Oasis," features date rape and an abortion, so you can imagine what the rest of the record is like.  There is no answer to the title question on the record, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say the killer was probably one of her exes, most likely the guy in "Ampersand" which is my favorite song on the album.  It is an amazing song, very powerful musically with a passionate vocal from Palmer as she makes a feminist statement of freedom and eviscerates her crazy lover.  That line about "eyes full of ketchup" is just brilliant.  "Another Year: A Short History of Almost Something" is another tremendous song.  I believe it is about fear of commitment, but it might as well be about suicide it is so gloomy.  When I listen to it I feel like I'm at a funeral.  Palmer sings her heart out, her vocal gives me chills.  "Astronaut: A Short History of Nearly Nothing" gets the album off to a rousing start with its crashing piano chords and I love Zoe Keating sawing away on the cello throughout the song.  I may be in the minority here, but I think a cello makes just about any pop song better.  I believe the song is about a woman lamenting her astronaut lover's death although it also works as a song of neglected love.  It would make a nice response to Bowie's "Space Oddity" telling the story of Major Tom's wife. "Strength Through Music" is about a kid on a shooting rampage, I find her ticking very unnerving.  "Runs In the Family" is a cousin to the Dolls' "Girl Anachronism" as it explores hereditary illness both physical and mental, family shame and avoiding responsibility for one's actions.  In "Leeds United" it sounds like Palmer is ragging on an English boyfriend.  I like her husky, hoarse vocal and I'm pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of the horns used to augment the song.  "Blake Says" dissects another commitment-phobe boyfriend using references to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.  This song features Keating on cello again as well as some nice synthesizer work from Ben Folds.  Folds' synthesizer is also very prominent in "Guitar Hero" which showcases some guitar shredding from East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys.  She criticizes video game addicts in this song.  The cover of "What's the Use of Wond'rin" from the musical "Carousel" is largely sung by guest vocalist Annie Clark aka St. Vincent.  Palmer presumably included it as a statement of irony, since its stand-by-your-man message is contradicted by this entire record.  With its music box-like chimes and Clark's almost mechanical vocal, it sounds like something out of a David Lynch movie, it makes Rodgers and Hammerstein seem creepy.  I don't really get "Have to Drive" but I dig the strings and choir.  I think it is using roadkill to make some points about escapism, escapism is a recurring theme on this record.  It is evident in "The Point of It All" which is another one of my favorite songs on the record.  The subject of the song is so withdrawn and depressed as to shut his or herself off from the world.  I suppose the needle in the song could be a drug reference, but I prefer to think of it as a metaphor.  I find this album endlessly fascinating.  I don't think Palmer's music is confessional, but it is personal and intimate.  Listening to this record is like having dinner with her or at least her persona anyway.  She tells you things you don't normally hear on a pop record.  I've been listening to this record repeatedly over the past couple of weeks trying to write this post, on top of all the times I listened to the CD when I first got it so I would guess I've heard it at least fifty times and it still sends me.  I hear new stuff or pick up something new in the lyrics every time I play it.  It is musically and lyrically complex and emotionally honest and expressive.  Recommended for Tori Amos fans looking for something a little more edgy and ornery.

 

Lucky - Nada Surf

Lucky
Nada Surf
Barsuk  bark70LP
2008

I bought this as a CD a while back and loved it so much that I recently went out and got it on vinyl.  Ideally I like to have all the albums that I really love on vinyl.  I love this album so much, it would definitely be a desert island record for me.  I've listened to it over a hundred times and it still sends me.  It has picked me up when I was down and it has made good days even better.  Matthew Caws has a classic alternative rock voice, sensitive, expressive and tender - akin to Fran Healy, Ben Gibbard or James Mercer.  The harmonies and arrangements are terrific as is the songwriting with memorable melodies, colorful imagery and clever lyrics throughout.  "See These Bones" is one of the best pop songs that I've ever heard, every time I play it my spirit soars.  Its allure is irresistible to me and I love the lyrics about regret and seizing the day.  I know a lot of Nada Surf fans think "Let Go" is their best album and I really love it too, but for me this is their masterpiece.  Every song is terrific, I'm enthralled by the record from beginning to end.  It is hard to single out specific favorite songs, but I guess I would opt for "Beautiful Beat," "Are You Lightning," "I Like What You Say" and "Ice on the Wing."  I haven't been so obsessed with a new record since "Oh Inverted World" by the Shins.  I doubt that Nada Surf will ever be the best band in the world and they may never make another record this good again, but as far as I am concerned they have earned their permanent place in the rock pantheon.  Give me a hammer and chisel and I'll gladly carve that in stone.  Recommended to disgruntled Travis fans and impatient Shins fans.

Live Europaturnen MCMXCVII - Pavement

Live Europaturnen MCMXCVII
Pavement
Matador OLE 324-1
2008

This record was the main reason I bought the deluxe re-issue of "Brighten the Corners".  Normally I dislike those things because the bonus tracks are so rarely worth the expense or the waste of getting rid of your original copies.  Matador's work with re-issuing the Pavement records though is outstanding, even without this bonus record, the added songs on the CDs make it more than worthwhile.  This record is terrific although I'm not so crazy about the packaging.  It is designed to look like a bootleg with minimal information, spartan artwork, misspelled song titles, even 3 incorrect song titles.  I got all excited when I saw "Remake/Remodel" in the song list thinking it was a cover of the Roxy Music song, but it turned out to be "Type Slowly".  In case you are wondering, the other two are "We Are Underused" mislabeled "Joe Boyd (Stringband)" and "Fin" listed as "Tusk" even though the band clearly announce the song as "Fin" in the spoken introduction to the record.  Despite the shoddy bootleg packaging, the record does not sound like a bootleg.  The quality of the recording is excellent.  According to the record title the concert is taken from the 1997 European tour although no specific site is identified.  Most of the cuts are drawn from "Brighten the Corners" which is fine with me since it is my favorite Pavement album.  It is hard to single out specific tracks, they are all really good, but I guess I would single out "Fin" and "Type Slowly" for their exciting guitar work, the lively humor in "Stereo" and the jumping version of "Silence Kit".  There is also a nice, rocking version of "Painted Soldier."  I'm not normally a big fan of live albums but this one really works, the songs sound so punchy and immediate, it would actually be a pretty good introduction for a Pavement neophyte and it is a record that I will be likely to reach for first when I'm itching for a Pavement fix.  Recommended for people who kind of like Pavement but don't understand what all the fuss is about.