Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on Discussion: What’re You Listening To?

The longest-running parlor game for music fans might be arguing about which era of Van Halen is the best.

A close second: what song defines your generation?

The answers are almost always a tell: Boomers might point to The Beatles, The Stones, or Dylan. Gen X often lands on something like “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha…well, the answer gets fuzzier. That’s probably also a tell. (Spoiler: I’m old.)

Writing for NPR recently, Hazel Cills flipped the question a little, asking instead: Can an entire generation be defined by one song?

To me, a definitive millennial song can’t just be a song that failed to reach listeners beyond my specific generation (those born between the years of 1981 to 1996, to pick one of the possible date ranges demarcating the cohort). It also can’t simply be a hit that was popular with a huge swath of millennials. For a song to be definitively millennial, it also has to speak to the millennial identity. Millennials have been saddled with many of those simplistic stereotypes listed above, but also a lot of harsh realities….The music culture that defined our coming of age, from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, went through its own massive disruptions that influenced not just listeners but also artists: the rise of illegal downloading and the streaming culture that came after, social media platforms like Youtube and Myspace that birthed a new generation of stars, the invention of MP3 players like the iPod and the explosion of festival culture. Millennial music, regardless of genre, embodies the collision of these realities.

One can make the same case with supporting arguments for whichever cohort you choose, and while I have my own ideas on what “Has” to be the song of my people, I don’t know if an entire generation can be distilled down to one track. It’s a fun exercise, and for GenX there’s certainly no shortage of 5-star candidates, but it also encompasses a group born between 1965 and 1980. Can you paint an entire generation with a broad brush? Probably not, but it doesn’t stop us from trying.

Still, it’s a fun exercise—and maybe that’s the point. While we’ll likely never reach a consensus or land on a definitive answer, the conversation itself tells us something about how we hear music and how we see ourselves.

Tell me, what do you think?

KA—

P.S. The answer to Q1 is always the DLR era.

P.P.S. Huge shout to friend of the newsletter Chris B RRT for sending over this link to Shakedown’s ‘Heat It Up’ record, featuring one Rollo Steele.

On to the music…

It will not surprise you to read that this playlist is extremely Gen X-coded, with tracks from Sonic Youth, Luscious Jackson, and more. There’s also a nod to older cohorts with George Harrison and Lindsey Buckingham in the mix, and of course a ton of brand new tracks from the likes of The Maureens, Van Chamberlain and Long Relief.


Side A is tracks 1-14 (ends with “Greensburg”). Side B is tracks 15-27.

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music |
Note: Both YT & Qobuz are missing a couple of tracks this week.

Now it’s your turn.

Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs S/T EP vs. Lightning Bolt’s Ride the Skies

by KevinLeave a Comment on Yeah Yeah Yeahs S/T EP vs. Lightning Bolt’s Ride the Skies

Best Record of 2001: Day 50

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at Yeah Yeah Yeahs self-titled EP.

Yeah Yeah Yeah’s self-titled, 5-song EP was self-released on their own Shifty label in 2001.

Their decidedly garage-punk sound featured guitarist Nick Zinner, drummer Brian Chase, and no bassist. No matter; even in these early days, everything orbits around frontwoman Karen O. Her vocals are hard to pin down– she coos one minute, screams the next (see also: the entire chorus of “Art Star”), and occasionally works in a sort of disaffected monotone

The synths and more polished sound would come in time, but here they’re still incubating, and it’s very much rough around the edges. Whether that was because they were still finding their legs or an intentional aesthetic choice, the end run is the same. Nick Zinner’s riffs do a lot of weight-bearing. They’re basic, but that’s all that was called for here.

The first thing we hear is Karen O repeating “the bigger, the better” on “Bang.” Signing to a major… Fever to Tell (or It’s Blitz!- whichever’s your fave)…a bazillion kids being introduced to “Maps” by whoever picked it while playing Rock Band and then being bewildered by the rest of their catalog…and so on. That would all come in time.

But it all starts here in peak “Meet me in the bathroom” New York… You don’t need to know this is their first EP to know it’s some of their earliest work. And like anything, if you stare too long or overthink it, you can find nits to pick. But it’s ‘01 in the hippest quarters of NYC. Who tf has time for that?!

This is up against Lightning Bolt’s Ride The Skies, and I gotta tell ya, I’m really struggling to reach for positives here. I know there’re plenty of noise rock people out there, but this is not my tribe. Nothing wrong with that, of course. We like what we like! But god damn this whole thing felt like a test. It probably didn’t help that I was listening at work. At any given time I have 6 monitors, two radios, a teletype printer, and about 30 tabs open, and it can feel like what this record sounds like.

There’s a spot on “The Faire Folk” where I thought the noodling was reminiscent of AC/DC’s riff on AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. That was about all I could salvage from this.

Bottom Line: Karen O & co for the W.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

A Quick Look at ‘White Blood Cells’ at 25

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Quick Look at ‘White Blood Cells’ at 25

Best Record of 2001: Day 49

Cover art courtesy of Sympathy For the record Industry

Good morning!
Today we’re taking a quick look at The White Stripes’ White Blood Cells

I catch myself whenever I hear Seven Nation Army ring out from the soccer stand. What a song to co-opt! How odd that a band that’s not exactly obsessed with fame still has 1000s of people singing that song 20+ years on. Is there anyone else in that rarified air? My bemusement aside, Elephant is a solid record. How so much sound can come from two people is beyond me, but here we are. Other than some backing vocals, it really is just the two of them. Meg White’s drumming is simple (and simple is never easy), and Jack White’s guitar (and piano) take us from soccer stand fodder to swamp flats on tracks like “I Want to be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart.” It’s a no-skips record, even if not everything would sound good being yelled from a terrace.

If Elephant is what put the duo on the map, White Blood Cells is what lays the groundwork. I can almost guarantee at some point today someone will work “masterpiece” into the discourse or refer to it as art. The latter is true- all music is art. The former? Mmmm…I don’t know.

Fair play to “Fell In Love with a Girl “; it’s one of the best singles we’ve come across in Round 1. It’s loud, euphoric, and the kind of messy that says, “I want you to think this didn’t take any effort, but we spent days making it that way.” That sort of disheveled sound taps the same roots that DBT’s Southern Rock Opera did earlier in the week, as well as the likes of MC5 (which, I mean, sure. The White Stripes are from Detroit after all.)

Contrived or not, that simplicity works here—and as mentioned above— simple is never easy. Ask your favorite drummer. As a reformed one myself, I never miss a chance to defend Meg White from people that say “she’s not that good.” First, she’s more talented than 99.99999% of the people that say this, and second, see above. Playing a rudimentary style is easy…for about a minute. Doing it consistently and in a way that matches Jack White’s all-over-the-place stylings is anything but.

Did people do this with VU’s Moe Tucker? Maybe, but I doubt it. Look, I can be as snarky as anyone, but the boo boys can fuck off into the sun with all that.

(Exhale)

The sneering hipster take from Serious Music People ™ is that the basic, stripped-down style is a deficit. Really, it’s their superpower. Sometimes you just want some teeth and something that’s unapologetically loud…. even tracks like “I’m Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman” and “The Same Boy You’ve Always Known” both of which which, I guess, count as slower tracks here, still have a little intentional grit and edge to ‘em. “We’re Going to Be Friends” is a bit too twee for this record, but people love it, so (Kanye shrug).

This band has always been polarizing, mostly, I think, because their records bring out the worst in the Rock Guy™ and Hipster tribes. So be it. In the meantime, with its mix of blues-y tracks and face melters, White Blood Cells will still be a punchy record that locked in the pair’s style.

Bottom Line: This is the #3 seed in the tourney, and I can’t see it slowing down anytime before Round 4 where it’ll likely face off against Kylie Minogue. Today it’s up against Squarepusher, who seem like almost an afterthought in comparison. Took the safe bet on this one; my bracket pick and vote will be for White Blood Cells.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

Ladytron’s ‘604’ vs. My Morning Jacket’s ‘At Dawn’

by KevinLeave a Comment on Ladytron’s ‘604’ vs. My Morning Jacket’s ‘At Dawn’

Best Record of 2001: Day 48

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at Ladytron’s 604 as it faces off against At Dawn by My Morning Jacket.

There was a time when I would buy records based solely on the label. Dischord never missed. 4AD? Odds were high you’d love what they were issuing. K Records? Whether or not it matched my tastes was up for grabs, but you could bank on it being something quirky, and that screamed “Olympia.” Wax Trax! was the gift that kept on giving for a kid who was both into hardcore and synth pop. The late ’80s and early ’90s were wildly dissonant for me musically. Nettwerk was right there too, with offerings sometimes less for the dance floor, more toward the after-after-after party. I was always happy to take a flyer on these types of records, even if I didn’t bat 1.000.

Seeing Ladytron’s 604 was on Nettwerk, I was surprised I’d missed them. Turns out that just the reissue was on the label, but that doesn’t explain how I’d missed the band entirely. I guess by ’01 I’d tuned everything out, even stalwart genres like synthpop.

Reading up a bit, I kept seeing “electroclash” tossed around, and maybe it’s just me, but I’m not seeing it. What I am seeing is a band whose members 110% have a Kraftwerk record or two in their collection. Stereolab as well, right down to the dueling female vocalists—and stylings—in Mira Aroyo and Helen Marnie. They’re cooler than you, but don’t flaunt it. The sort of icy personality that would also definitely let you bum a dart. Tracks like “CSKA Sofia” are a bit of spacy noodling, but “Paco!” is pure uncut new wave, and I’m here for it. You could’ve told me this was released in ’89, and I would’ve believed you. It’s the sort of thing I spent a lot of time listening to while riding the bus downtown to places like Dudley’s (RIP) to pick up some import or another. Same story with Playgirl and Discotraxx.

In fact, I could swear I’ve heard these all before. They’re just vaguely familiar enough to convince me I have, even though I know otherwise.

At 16 tracks, it’s a bit too long. There’s an incredible 10–11 track record in here. Some of the padding feels like a mandate to flesh out the song count to “fill” the CD (were we still doing this in ’01? I can’t see any other reason why “Laughing Cavalier” made the cut.), but the good far outweighs the bad.

I’m bummed I missed this before, but I’m happy to have found it as part of this challenge. This is one I’ll definitely be returning to.

I can tell you that had I heard My Morning Jacket’s At Dawn in 2001, I would’ve had no time for it. I had no taste for this sort of woozy Americana jam-band stuff. Times change. It’s not bad! “Lowdown” reminded me of those slow summer mornings where it’s already humid, but the searing heat hasn’t yet kicked in. If I had a front porch, I’d sit out there and listen to this sort of thing while watching the world go by. “Xmas Curtain” has a nice slide guitar (or steel pedal, who knows?) that, in ’01, would’ve had me spraining my finger by smashing the fast-forward button. 25 years on, and I find that sort of thing endearing… in limited doses. It works here.

Similar to 604, there is a 10-track “10” in here somewhere. A couple of tracks went straight onto my playlists, a few were objectively pleasant— if not for me—and a couple left me shaking my head. Put your lighters down, this is not a ballad band. I will be fine never hearing “If It Smashes Down” or “I Needed It Most” again. I would’ve scotched this in a hot second 25 years ago, and almost did just now. Sorry, not sorry. Tracks like the aforementioned “Lowdown” and “Just Because I Do” are what they do best.

Bottom Line: So! We’ve got two wildly different new-to-me records whose only common ground was the year of release. On paper, this should be a lock for Ladytron. Once a synth kid, always a synth kid. But My Morning Jacket was better than I was expecting. If I’m honest, I’d be okay with either of these going through to Round 2. We could do worse.

Looking at my bracket, I have Ladytron pegged as winning Round 1. Apparently, I’d already taken a flyer on 604. Hopefully it pays off.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

A Quick Look at Drive By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera at 25

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Quick Look at Drive By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera at 25

Best Record of 2001: Day 47

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at Drive By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera.

The irony of a concept album about the “duality of the Southern thing” being released in the immediate fallout of 9/11 isn’t lost on me. Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera is a concept album that kinda sorta follows the story of the fictional band Betamax Guillotine, which is loosely based on the real band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

That means it takes place in Alabama, and if you’ve ever been to Alabama, you know just how hot, humid, and angry a place can get. It’s a place where the air can kill you and, at the very least, influences every corner of your life. And in this universe, the Confederate flag, muscle cars, and Bear Bryant reign supreme.

Why bother recording a semi-fictional concept record focused on Southern identity and rock music’s place in it? For DBT, it was a way to delve into the South’s influence on American rock while at the same time reckoning with the stereotypes and skepticism that still plague this part of the country. If nothing else, using Lynyrd Skynyrd gave them a sort of scaffolding to work with. The first part starts in the late ‘80s and captures the supercharged existence of people just on the cusp of adulthood and those grappling with one that didn’t quite turn out as planned.

The Skynyrd theme is carried all the way to the final track, “Angels and Fuselage,” which takes on the plane crash the band was in and the one a bunch of them didn’t walk away from.

Or put another way, why not?

This is the band’s only double LP, and it uses all the runway to tell the story they wanted to tell—and the way they wanted to tell it. To my ear, it feels as ambitious as it does claustrophobic. A record made in a place where swamp coolers give their lives fighting a battle they were never gonna win, and where horsepower under your hood says as much about you as your family name.

Structured as a two-part story across its two discs, Southern Rock Opera is the record that put the band on the map and launched a thousand message boards. There are quotable lines around every bend and riffs that hit harder than a midsummer thunderstorm. It sounds as good on Alabama back roads as it does at a suburban barbecue, and while I’m not sure the cargo-shorts collective truly gets the message 100% of the time, it’s not for lack of trying.

Best tracks? Take your pick; there’s plenty of them. No one gets out of Zip City alive.

Bottom Line: This is up against Tricky’s Blowback LP. Shame really, as it’s a solid record that drew an awful seeding. The suburban dads are my people and bands like DBT are our totems. Southern Rock Opera for the win.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

A Quick Look at R.E.M.’s ‘Reveal’ at 25

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Quick Look at R.E.M.’s ‘Reveal’ at 25

Best Record of 2001: Day 46

Cover art courtesy of Warner Brothers

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at R.E.M.’s 2001 LP, Reveal.

Sometime ago, I raised some eyebrows not by declaring that Document was R.E.M.’s best record (a relatively safe pick, tbh), but by ranking Out of Time so high and slotting in AFTP so low at 9th.

There were a couple of caveats and carve-outs (it’s my list!). First, Up punches above its weight for the simple reason that no other song so perfectly describes the feel of an airport at 03:30 AM as Airportman does. This is a side of travel few see, but one that’s been my world for most of my adult life.

Second—and I think more relevant here—REM’s discography can be broken into three distinct eras, and the order you slot these records in depends a lot on which one your on-ramp was in. For me, this was Green and Eponymous. The latter is a comp, but there’s a very real calculus behind why the former sits at #5 for me.

I also feel like the post-Bill Berry years are a sort of denouement for the band. If the cut-out bins were anything to go by, this was the era that many listeners passed on. It certainly was for me, though YMMV.

Really, I think the one thing most fans can agree on is that Around the Sun has a lock on last place. Pretty much everything else is up for grabs.

That said, something has to come in next to last, and up until now, that something for me has usually been Reveal.

By this point, I’d kind of checked out. I’d still give any new release at least a cursory glance, but I was perfectly happy to stay behind, enjoying Green, Out of Time, and even Monster. Up was interesting- an appreciation that grew over time, but Reveal passed me by entirely. Knowing me, I probably dismissed it out of hand. No Bill Berry? No, thank you. Never mind the reasons behind his (very amicable and very necessary) reasons for leaving. I could be pretentious that way—not unlike my gatekeeping ancestors who felt the same way for anything post-IRS. Really, I think it was 10 years too early for me. I wasn’t ready.

Listening again, I’m surprised at how solid the first three tracks are. I’ve long held a soft spot for “All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star)” but “The Lifting” is a lot better than I’d remebered. It’s a harkening back to something closer to their earlier sound; almost an antidote to the way Up left off. Maybe a reminder to all of us that 3/4s of the band we grew up on was still there/ Maybe it was a reminder to themselves.

“Disappear” is a bit of a dirge, which…ok. I mean, I know that plays with a huge part of the fan base, but I prefer my R.E.M. a little more jangly, thankyouverymuch. Ditto “Saturn Return.” “Beat A Drum” pulls things up a bit and reminds me of the Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. Not my bag, but it’s objectively pleasant.

“Imitation of Life” was the “big” single of the album, and its catchiness and hook make a solid case for why it deserved to be. The video reminds me of Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” with trippy effects. Actually, a lot of videos from this era went all in on this motif. Were we into this back in the day? These didn’t look like any parties I was going to, I’ll tell you that for free. And I like the wistful vibe that closer “Beachball” sends us out on.

As noted, Up has long punched above its weight thanks to Airportman. That’s an all-timer for extremely niche reasons, but Reveal took that same nose for experimentation and pulled it into a much sharper focus.

Going in, I wasn’t really sure what I was gonna get. Time can be kind or cruel in equal measure. But after years of slagging off the last 1/3 of the discography, I was really hoping for redemption. And I’m happy to say it came. None of my top 5 is at risk, but even just typing this, I think it deserves to be scooched up at least a notch or two.

Bottom Line: This is up against Super Furry Animals’ Rings Around the World LP. a record that has a fervent fan base. I can certainly repsect that, but sometimes you gotta dance with who brang ya, ands this is one of those times. R.E.M. for both bracket pick and my vote today.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

What’re You Listening To?

by KevinLeave a Comment on What’re You Listening To?

Happy Memorial Day to everyone here in the US, and happy Monday to our international friends! Whether, you’re home today or just kicking off your work week, I hope you’ve had a chance to rest easy and spin some great records. If you’re in the latter camp, maybe this’ll make the commute just a bit more enjoyable?

I shared this anecdote in the chat over the weekend, but wanted to share it again with the group as a whole.

A few weeks ago, Gabbie, who writes the fantastic New Music For Old heads, asked readers to name the last band or record they found without the internet. It’s one of those fun questions that seems easy at first, but before you know it, you have a page full of crossed-out options and are wracking your brain. For better or worse, these days we find stuff online.

Obviously, it’s fun to find cool records through cool people (cough cough), but it seems wild to me that what was once a pretty straightforward question is now anything but.

And if you’ll allow me to share, I now have a pretty rad answer…sort of. I received a music submission via email from a local act. That in itself is not unusual (and yeah, email counts as internet), but then my kid asked me if the artist had been in touch. This is absolutely not normal. Turns out he had a makeup exam last week, and one of the musicians was the proctor. Once everything was completed and turned in, they were talking, and his music label came up, which led my son to mention this place, and everything came full circle. Not entirely analog, but still pretty cool (to me, anyway), so I’m counting it.

That duo is here (dargan hester), as is one of my fave shoegaze bands, Cheatahs. I found them via terrestrial radio (thank you, WSUM!), and they’ve never really left my rotation since. Squeeze showed up via the early days of MTV.

It’s not the record featured here, but one of my greatest analog finds was when a friend passed me a copy of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense while on a field trip. It’s not hyperbolic to say that moment changed the trajectory of my music diet forever.

What’s the last record you discovered without going online? Share your story!

KA—

P.S. Speaking of radio, when you’re done here, make sure to check out the final lap of Inhailer Radio’s Indie 500!

Side A is tracks 1-19 (ends with “Narco Polo”). Side B is tracks 20-39.

On to the music…

KA—

Other sources: Apple | Qobuz | YouTube Music|


Now it’s your turn.

Any new releases or shows you’re looking forward to? Whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!

A Quick Look at ‘Oh, Inverted World’ by The Shins

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Quick Look at ‘Oh, Inverted World’ by The Shins

Best Record of 2001: Day 45

Hello there!

Today we’re taking a look at Oh, Inverted World by The Shins

If you knew me in my teens and 20s, you know that I was an insufferable music snob. Like, just the worst. It’s something I’ve worked hard to move away from. It’s not like hitting middle age suddenly meant I liked everything; fuck no! I’m more opinionated than ever.

In 1996, I would just point and laugh at a record that wasn’t my bag, or just meet it with sneering derision. These days, I’m genuinely interested in what about a given record lands with someone. What is it about this specific recording that speaks to you? Is it tied to a seminal life event? Was this playing when you met your future partner/spouse? They’re obviously not my stories, but I don’t need much of a thread to grab onto. Usually, these are interesting enough on their own. Ideally, they get me to look at a record/band/etc in a new light.

So, if anyone has one of those regarding The Shins’ Oh, Inverted World, I’m all ears.

There was a time when one of the first things you did when meeting someone new was root through their records (and later CDs/tapes). It was—and is— a great window into someone’s personality, and how they might align with yours. And there was a time when the Garden State soundtrack was everywhere. This wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it usually ended with me muttering “fuck “ under my breath or dismissing whatever might have come after it. It just seemed to embody the very definition of tepid. Worse, it spawned a whole legion of bands to pen purposely obscure lyrics and set them to a similar style of music.

I don’t want to punch down—again, the days of me trying to write similar to Pitchfork 1.0 are mostly gone, but man, this is a pressure test. I will say that this has much more of a pulse in places than I was expecting (I’m thinking of opener Caring is Creepy here), and there are songs that would be right at home on late-stage Beach Boys records (”Girl Inform me”). And then we hit a wall with “New Slang.” Earlier today, if you’d have asked me what the name of this song was, I would’ve come up empty. It took exactly three notes of it to trigger some sort of musical PTSD in me. I swore if I never heard this song again, it’d be too soon, and yet here we are…again. In the interest of “research,” I’ve avoided skipping tracks. I did that here, but I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that this was also a good time to go downtown and get more coffee.

The Celibate Life lost me on the title alone, but it’s fine. It’s all a dead cat bounce, though. Girl on the Wing is back to the beach Boys-y vibe that likely only exists in my head. The point here is that they’ve pulled at least one amp back in, and there’s a pulse, albeit a weak one. And on it goes; one step forward, two steps back. Pressed In A Book dials up the fuzz to like a 4(?) and could be a B-side on a Sgt. Pepper’s record. It’s not terrible! And then we end with The Past and Pending, and we’re right back to the sort of folk-y, overly plaintive stylings that drive me bonkers. Even the horn is lonely, and I’m a guy who likes just about anything with a lil’ brass in it.

Bottom line: I’m a little more up on the band than I was 45 minutes ago, but not by much. A couple of good songs got my eyebrows raised and hopes up. A lot of sensitive ponytail guy stuff didn’t send them crashing back to earth. This is seeded at #10, so clearly a lot of people hold it in high regard—or at least enjoyed Garden State.

So again, if anyone wants to share what this means to them and why, I’m all ears. Until then, Oh, Inverted World has a couple of (relatively) high points, but it’s not enough to overcome the wall of beige that is the rest of the record.

EDIT: The algorithm served me up “Split Needles” after this, and I dug it. Maybe there’s hope yet?

Bottom Line: This is up against The Invisible band by Travis, and well, in the interest of saving time, my review can be distilled down to “Second first, same as the first.” Only difference was I’d never heard these guys before (at least that I know of), and there’s no Garden State-related enmity here. I listened on Spotify (I know! I know!) and the site says this band has just under 3.1 million listeners a month. Clearly, someone is seeing something I’m not. Maybe that’s you? If so, tell me a story…

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

A Quick Look at Guided by Voices’ ‘Isolation Drills’ LP

by KevinLeave a Comment on A Quick Look at Guided by Voices’ ‘Isolation Drills’ LP

Best Record of 2001: Day 44

Cover art courtesy of TVT records

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Guided by Voices 2001 LP Isolation Drills.

The glad girls only wanna get you high.

I couldn’t tell you the first time I heard GBV. There was no revelation, no epiphany the way there might’ve been with other bands. It just seems like they’ve always sorta been there, and if i’m honest, that’s kinda how I like it.

In one of my year-end issues, I joked that if we go more than six months without a GBV release, something must be horribly wrong.

I was only half kidding.

The band’s prolific output- or Robert Pollard’s- is no secret. An entire media empire could be built by simply dissecting each record in order.

Indeed, if you want a podcast that goes through most of the band’s catalog—it ended in 2020, so it’s missing, like, 13-14 records— you can start here.

The GBV discography is lengthy, but there’s no shortage of twists and turns along the way. That’s good for variety- and if you are planning a GBV media empire, it will mean no lack of flamethrower takes about each song/release.

In 2001, the phrase hot take didn’t exist yet, but music opinion(s) sure did. And views regarding Isolation Drills were generally positive. If anything, it’s a consistent record.

That’s not meant as a backhanded compliment. GBV can be varied, but sometimes squishing every style onto one record is regressive. With this release, we had a solid long player that did well to keep Pollard from bouncing around too much like a sonic superball.

Helping rein that in was this record’s lineup-specifically ex-Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson. The rhythm section often finds a way to get lost on these records, but this time is different.

To be clear, this is still a guitar-driven poppy record, the treble is set to 11, and the vocals are tailor-made to sing along with in the car. Or in a park…and a bunch of did just that in Milwakuee’s Humboldt Park a couple of summers ago.

Photo by author

When was their breakthrough? What’s their best record? These are the sorts of shibboleths record nerds live for. There’s not nearly enough bandwidth on the world wide web to tackle this, but I’d say by ’01 they were already very much on their way and Isolation Drills is one of their best

For my money, Glad Girls is damn near the poppiest track Pollard ever came up with, but you could make a plausible argument for Fair Touching, Chasing Heather Crazy, and Brides Have Hit Glass. And that’s just this record

The glad girls are alright. And that’s my hot take.

Bottom Line: This is up against They Might Be Giants’ Mink Car. TMBG have their own set of rabid fans, and Chase Roper has an entire newsletter dedicated to their work. If you’re at all interested and/or curious about their sounds, Kiss Me, Son of Blog should be your next stop.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!